


Remember Your Nightmares

by FudoTwin17



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: And you can still pretend, Angry Speedy, Angst, Angsty Garth, BAMF Dick Grayson, Backstory weirdness, Bad relations between Teen Titans and the Justice League, Beast Boy has trouble with his memory, Beast Boy is super young, Best Friend Garth, Best Girlfriend Ever!Jinx, Big Bro Cyborg, Big Bro Speedy, Big Sis Starfire, Blood, Confused Beast Boy, Dick Grayson actually sleeps - gasp!, Dick doesn't cope well, Empath Raven, Evil Young Justice, F/M, Flashbacks, Gen, Guilty Garth, Happy Ending maybe, Heavy parts, Hurt/Comfort, I don't, I don't know what I'm doing with my life anymore, Jinx is awesome, Kidnapping, Lots of BB/Rae friendships tho, Mind Control, Nightmares, No graphic rape, OCs are evil, One that died in the comics, PTSD, Poor Dick, Poor Kaldur'ahm, Poor Young Justice, Protective Speedy, Rape/Non-con Elements, Red X is secretly another superhero, Rood - Freeform, Rude Justice League, Slade?, So much so that I can't give you BBrae without being mildly creeped out, Tameranian Culture, The Light is involved, They suck, Torture, Tula helps, Tula is cool, Who knows how to use tags?, Young Justice Torture, Young Justice vs Teen Titans, batfam, crazy Dick Grayson, crazy Young Justice, daddy!Bats, dunno yet, touchy subjects
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-19
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-01-19 23:25:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 15
Words: 32,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1487986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FudoTwin17/pseuds/FudoTwin17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robin's past is even darker than he admits to his friends. It's full of pain and lost friends. But what happens when some of his friends return a bit darker? If they want their little brother back? If they're willing to take him by force? </p>
<p>And what if they succeed?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure how much of this story I'm going to manage to get up on AO3 yet, but I'm gonna try. This is being transfered from FanFiction.net, so forgive me for any poor updating (I'm actually really bad with updating). This is a fairly disturbing piece, but I'm going to try to make it kinda PG (failed already) -- more like teen. Enjoy. I'll make warnings when I feel it necessary. 
> 
> Please give me feedback so I know what you want to see and what you think about this fic! Okay, enjoy for real now.

 

_Miss Martian cried, "I-I'm scared."_

_Robin's heart broke. There were only six of them in the room. Kid Flash had broke. The room in question was dark and gloomy. There was blood splatter on the grey walls that caged them in. Along the walls were chairs with a different type of bondage binding each person to their chair. One was empty. It was a nightmare. Literally._

Robin tossed his head as he laid in his bed, dreaming, more like nightmarring, about a memory long lost.

_"We'll get out of this." Robin replied simply. He sounded much more confident than he felt. They stared at him in disbelief. He didn't think there was much hope, but he couldn't voice his fears to the team. If he did . . . he just couldn't._

_"Sure, we will, Rob. Just like the time my dad beat my mom so bad she ended up being paralyzed." Artemis laughed. She losing her sanity, just like Wally had. Robin flinched._

_"We must keep faith." Aqualad agreed, but his agreement was half-hearted._

Robin's grip on the covers tightened.

_"Yeah." Grunted Red Arrow. He was the calmest out of the group, not counting Robin, of course._

_Artemis laughed again. She had tears running down her face. Wally. "This time we aren't getting out."_

_"Don't . . . don't say that." Megan whispered. She was crying hysterically, making a lump form in his throat._

_"We can. We will." He said._

"We'll get out. It's okay." Robin mumbled into his empty room.

_"We . . . ." Miss Martian shook her head. "Artemis is right. We . . . we aren't going to escape." She hung her head in defeat. Then she smiled. "I bet Kid is better off right now." She started laughing. "I surrender."_

_The rest of the team stared at her. They had been in there for months. Now, she had broken._

_A metal door slid open and a robot walked in, unhooking Megan, who followed it solemnly, not looking at her team._

Robin twisted the sheet covers in his grip. He looked like he was in agony. Actually, he really was. "Miss Martian . . . . Megan."

_"I'm sorry, Robin." She said before walking out the door._

_There were now five._

Robin continued to toss and turn, unaware of the alien almost crying outside his door. She knew he had nightly nightmares. She knew they were getting worse. She knew how much she wanted to stop them. And she knew how much Robin would hate that.

She sighed.

She wouldn't know how much worse things were going to get.


	2. One: Early Morning Reveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, Robin wonders if he should jump -- wonders if it would hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter breaches the topic of suicide. If that bothers you, you may want to skip from the point Robin enters the roof to the point where he begins talking with Starfire.

 

 

Robin entered the main room of Titans Tower carefully, as always. If there was no one in the room, he always had the urge to search it for anything out of the ordinary. Some might call him too suspicious, but he couldn't help it. It was just a bad habit, one he really couldn't let go of. A part of him was afraid to, a fear he wouldn't admit to anyone, especially his friends.

He glanced around suspiciously.

_Just walk away._ He told himself. He knew it was safe. Cyborg had worked his robo-but off on the security in the tower, and Robin had double-checked it!

Secretly, of course. Cyborg would have a fit if he found out Robin had checked his tech! And improved on it . . . a . . . bit more than he should've . . . .

But it didn't matter. Robin took deep breaths as he walked to the couch. He could cook breakfast for the team . . . .

_"Breakfast is the most important human meal of the day! Um, isn't it, Robin?"_ Robin shook his head. He didn't need to be alone in the main room. He needed some fresh air. His cape flowed behind him as he walked toward the door he had just entered through.

His feet moved automatically as he let him mind roam everywhere but where it wanted to go. They were dead. No need to let his mind examine it closely. They were dead. No second thoughts. They had to be . . . .

Robin was assaulted by the cool morning air. The dark city made his heart pound. It really was beautiful. It sometimes made him wonder why people spent their time sleeping when they could be admiring something so great. There were dark rings under Robin's eyes. Not that anyone could see them.

He took a deep breath and sat on the ledge, his feet hanging over the edge.

Sometimes, he wondered what would happen if he just fell. It would hurt. Really bad. But would he be around for very long? Would it be just like them . . . .

His arms tensed, as if waiting for him to confirm the thoughts were real.

"Robin?" His arms relaxed. He wouldn't fall, not if someone was going to watch, be traumatized. Especially not her.

"Hey, Star. What are you doing up so early?" He asked the alien.

"Uh, just woke up. I thought I would come up here and look at the stars." She smiled, sitting next to him and pointed at a star. "That one's Tamaran."

He gave her a small smile. "Home-sick?"

She glanced at him, "I . . . I may have the sickness of home, but I do not feel at all sick."

Robin had to smirk. She made things much too easy. "Home-sickness just means that you miss your home."

She smiled at him, "Ah. But I do believe I've had enough of home for a long while after that last visit."

Then she realized what she said. They blushed, looking away as they remembered those events. They turned their attention to the rising sun. It was a truly magnificent sight. Starfire paused.

"It's amazing." She whispered.

"Yeah." He agreed, thankful that he was no longer blushing.

"Robin?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever get the home-sickness?"

"No."

There was a pause. She didn't expect that answer. Who wouldn't miss the place they were raised in? It was a place of comfort and security. Why didn't he feel that way? Did something happen?

"Why not?"

There was another pause. He didn't want to tell her. He couldn't handle it himself. No, he wouldn't tell her. He couldn't. He would just tell her some of the truth.

"My home life wasn't very," Hm. What was the word? What could he say? He decided on something simple, "happy."

She frowned at him. The way he put it didn't sound very good. Before she could ask what he meant, she heard loud voices drifting up through the entry way she had used to get up there.

"Dude! All those cute little animals! How can you live with yourself?" Came Beast Boy's horrified voice.

"Happily. Now pass me the bacon." Came Cyborg's voice.

"Dude! We're having tofu!"

Robin stood abruptly. If he were anyone else he would've accidentally fallen off the edge. Maybe then he would have his answer.

"I guess it's breakfast time." He helped her up before he strode away, Starfire standing in the dust. He wasn't just hard to figure out. He was elusive.

By time Robin entered the main room, Cyborg and B.B. were cooking side by side, pretending the other wasn't there. That made things both easier and harder.

"Morning, Robin." B.B. greeted easily.

"Morning." Robin replied, falling onto a stool.

Then things got quiet. No one even noticed as Starfire walked in.

Except Raven.

She glanced over at the other girl, sensing her mood. They connected eyes. Abruptly, Raven stood and walked to Star's room. Starfire walked in and collapsed on the bad. The empath carefilly sat next to her.

"Speak."

"It's Robin."

* * *

 

The group stood on top of one of the largest buildings. They waited. They were careful.

"Now?" One asked. He sounded almost whiney.

The leader, a dark figure starring out across the sea, nodded.

"Yes!" He sounded happy. Too happy.

The girl next to him snorted as if her fingers weren't interlocked in his. He made a light protesting sound before stopping himself and reaching out to caress her face. She blushed.

"You can't say you're not happy to get our little brother back."

She smirked, moving his hand off her face, "You're right. Start the plan."

At that, even Superboy smiled.

Their little brother was coming back.


	3. Two: Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Titans worry about Robin, and yet Robin himself is only concerned for his friends.

 

 _It's Robin._ Raven's frown deepened. What could be affecting Robin? From her brief brush with his mind, she knew that he was more than troubled. He was filled to the brim with agony, and guilt. He had memories that, while he would never give up, only tore open his wounds more. It hurt just to feel. She used to think that her pain was more than anyone could bare, but then she had seen his mind. It was somewhere she never wanted to be again.

But somehow through that pain, he managed to find hope. That was a gift far greater than any physical object.

She rose an eyebrow.

"We were speaking to each other about the stars when he asked me if I had the sick of home, which I did, and then, once he explained it, I asked him if he had the sickness of home, and-"

"Starfire, breath." Raven interrupted.

Starfire stopped mid-word to find she had no breath left to continue with. She inhaled deeply and paused a moment before looking at Raven to see if she could continue. Raven nodded.

"He said he didn't ever get home sick. It greatly worries me." She sighed.

Raven closed her eyes, thinking about how to answer this question without encouraging the alien to ask him about anything she revealed. When she opened her eyes, she found the other girl was staring wide-eyed, prepared for dangerous questioning.

"When I connected with his mind, we basically broke all boundaries we set up for the other. His mind was trained specifically not to let any invading minds see the things he had seen. From what I can tell, his past was murky. He has the worst past of all of us. Don't try to force him to let you in. Just know that he has suffered tragedy and that has made him not want to go back. He constantly wants to avoid the one person that makes him feel like he failed. He wants somewhere safe that he can't mess up at. That makes him not miss home, but he's still uncomfortable here. He misses the comfort of the place he grew up protecting, but he's afraid to mess up. Just give him time. He'll let you in." She nodded, giving the best advice she could.

For a few scary moments, Star just sat there, thinking. Raven was about to take back the advice when Star jumped on her. "Thank you, friend Raven! I have most enjoyed this talk!"

"Um . . . you're welcome."

For a few moments there was silence. Strangely, that silence was interrupted by Raven.

"Star?"

"Yes, friend?"

"Do you mind letting go of me now?"

"Oh."

* * *

 

The guys of Teen Titans were inside eating.

Except for Robin who found a reason to disappear. He hadn't eaten. If only that hadn't been normal for him.

If KF were still around, he would probably force Robin to eat a banana or something. At least the speedster knew how to eat. He _knew_ how to eat.

Robin sighed, pushing aside the papers in front of him on Red X. He would rather have been at the mountain right then. Anywhere besides right there, the cold hard facts staring him in the face. His first team was gone. His third family was gone. He needed to stop going though so many family members.

He knew the joke wasn't funny.

He knew it was cruel.

He knew he would continue to wonder what would've happened had he not messed up.

It hit him like a ton of bricks. His first family was gone. His second family and him were momentarily not speaking, besides a Christmas card to Alfred once in a while. His third family was gone. He was on his fourth.

What would happen to them?

Impulsively, he made a silent wish to himself.

 _Don't let what happened to them happen to my friends._ And his wish would come true at a dangerous price.

What happened to them would happen to him.


	4. Three: Sound the Alarm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The terror both in Robin's mind and the city is one and the same.

 

_When the door opened, there were four left. Artemis had broken just the last day. It was getting worse by the day. Of course, they all knew what was coming, so no one looked up._

_Followed by two robots was a girl with black hair and her magician's outfit torn and dirtied with blood and dirt. Her head was down, refusing to look forward. She wouldn't voice her defeat, but she already had. It was too obvious. Chains held onto her hands and ankles like deadly snakes that had already bitten it's prey._

_Robin looked up at Zatanna. Pain was evident in his eyes that were still hidden from his friends._

_Teary eyes met his._

_This was just one more way used to break the teens. They would send them in with her, one at a time to-_

_"Robin, come." Commanded one of the robots._

_As his restraints fell away, he stood. Unable to fight, one of the robots grasped his wrists, holding them tight to force him to come. He sent a glance back at Aqualad, wanting reassurance, but instead sending back the reassuring glance to the leader who had a look of panic etched across his face. Robin had to keep at least him sane. He had to keep his remaining friends alive long enough for rescue._

_When he was roughly pushed out of the room, he could hear the door slamming closed and the screen sliding down. That way, those remaining could watch._

_They were brought into an arena. It looked like the outdoors, but the sunlight and the Earth just had a fake feel. They knew it was fake, no matter how realistic. Once enclosed inside the sick, fake simulation, they waited. A voice came overhead, signaling the beginning of their fight._

_The chains fell away and they looked at one another for a moment. Then they took up fighting positions._

_If they didn't fight until one could no longer continue, they would watch as the rest of their friends suffered the consequences. Then they would get their own special hour of torture. Zatanna was always kept for this part._

_And they fought in a deadly match of the closest of friends._

* * *

Robin gasped when he woke up, pulling his head off of the desk of scattered newspaper clippings. He put his hand to his temple as if trying to remove the headache with the simple movement.

But it was impossible to remove the pain in his mind of all he had seen, all he had lost. He could feel it slipping back to the surface.

He made sure that it sank back down.

He refused to think about it. His nightmares were plagued enough without his thinking about it during the daytime. Or at least he thought it was in the daytime. He glanced at the clock, thankful that only an hour had slipped by.

* * *

 

Standing among the busy and crowded people on the sidewalk in Jump City as if she were trying to figure out which way she wanted to go. She gained many odd looks, but hardly paid attention. Her mind was on many other things.

_Are you in place?_ Came the leader's voice.

She smirked happily. _Ready._

_Then the plan starts now._ His steady voice replied. She could feel his joy through her mind. He was extremely happy, just like everyone else.

_Then lets start the show._ Her smile became almost eccentric. It was time.

* * *

 

Robin shut his laptop, running a hand through his messy hair. Oh, how he hated this. Catching criminals was the one thing that he could do, but he couldn't move as easily through it as the Dark Knight could when he hit a dead end. But he had to keep going.

That was his job.

But his mind just needed a short break. Probably just a bit of training. That's what he usually did when he needed time to think. But of course, when he did that once, he denied Beast Boy the ability to train with him and . . . yeah. He didn't like all aliens.

He stretched, stepping out of his room. He just needed some time.

Some real time.

Some real time that he wouldn't be getting. As the alarms went off, he hurried to the main room, ready to command his team. They needed a leader just like his last team. And, like Aqualad, he would be that leader until Cyborg wanted or needed to take charge.

It was time to go. When he saw the team there, his eyes narrowed. "What's going on?"

"A girl is causing panic in the city." Beast Boy replied, standing from the seat at the computer.

Robin nodded. "Titans, go!"

* * *

 

The dark haired girl laughed in the middle of the street as insane winds rushed about the area around her. People screamed and ran while cars skidded and traffic lights swung from their high perches. Through all of it, she stood there as undisturbed as ever.

"Got a problem with calm and peaceful?" Beast Boy asked.

She glanced at him uncaring before her eyes locked on Robin. Her smile grew if it was possible. "Hey, Rob. Long time, no see!"

Robin's eyes widened when he recognized her. "No way . . . ."


	5. Four: Flee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Teen Titans meet Young Justice.

 

Beast Boy glanced in shock at Robin. "You know her?"

The girl in question was a dark haired girl. She had luscious black hair that went just bellow her shoulders. On top of her beautiful, wild hair was a top hat. Her eyes were dark and inviting along with glossy, pink lips. Halfway down her neck was a bow tie with a sort of collar wrapped around the rest of her neck. She then had a low, white top that went to her hips where a black, short bottom took over. From them came fishnets until her her knees where they became hidden by high heeled boots. As well as that, she wore white gloves and a black jacket.

Robin looked at him darkly. "Yeah."

Raven looked at Robin suspiciously. She could feel waves of fear and horror coming off him. Then something in her mind clicked. She knew that there were more of them. Where were the rest?

Cyborg glanced at his leader, curiosity coming off him in waves. "How?"

Before Robin could answer, the girl was standing right in front of him. The winds died down as she placed a hand on his chest. The team stared in shock. Especially shocking was the fact that Robin made no move as to pull away, but instead grasped her wrist in a way that made it clear that he didn't want her to come any closer or go any further. He could feel something different other than the clothes.

"Robin-" Starfire began, but was interrupted by Zatanna.

"Robin, it's been so long." She whispered in the eerie calm.

"You're right." He replied easily.

"You know, the others are here, too." She stated. Robin's eyes widened just as the area in front of them became occupied.

Two humans slid down by means of a zip-line created by bows and arrows. One boy jumped down from the top of a nearby building without creating a crater. One girl just appeared there. A boy literally ran there in seconds. One other just walked from nearby.

Robin stared in shock while the rest of the Teen Titans readied themselves for the worst.

"Long time no see, buddy!" Exclaimed the one who had ran in. He had very radiant red hair and wore a costume similar to Kid Flash's only in black and red. Across his chest where a lightning bolt once was was now two lightning bolts crossing over one another in a X formation. Despite the boy's obvious enthusiasm, his eyes seemed eccentric and abnormal.

"Introduce yourself." The possible leader of the group interrupted. "The Titans deserve to know at least who you are."

"Right." Replied the boy, blushing scarlet under his mask. "It's Speed Master."

Robin blinked.

His eyes went to Artemis who nodded at them. Despite her normalcy, there was something off about her. She wore skin-tight black pants and a top. The top was sleeveless and went halfway up her neck although it showed off her stomach. The pants were skin-tight as well, however went all the way down to two black, high-heeled boots. Her mask was also black. Seems on her costume were done in a crimson color and, not to Robin's shock, the arrow on her chest that on her Artemis costume was green changed to red. Her arrows as well were on her back, but their tips were in crimson. Her hair, once kept together in a ponytail, was now loose and wild behind her. "I'm Tigress."

The leader figure who had just walked in looked at them and smiled. He had pale hair and dark skin. He wore a dark blue top and shinning black pants. Only on his hands were gloves that didn't extend to his fingers. Around his body were black tattoos. He didn't wear shoes, but they all noticed his gills. Next to that, they could all easily see metal weapons held on his back. Behind his bright smile, there was something dark and hidden. "I am Typhoon."

Next was another red headed boy. He had a strong build and stood very tall. He wore skin-tight black clothes with small diversities of grays and a few pockets in a belt around his waist. He wore black boots as well. His top ended at the elbows, only to be continued in black gloves with square areas of showing skin on the back of his hands. His mask was black alike Robin's, but had crimson where Robin had white. His smile was slightly off as he looked at the other team. "Black Arrow."

Speed Master made a scoffing noise and was quickly glared at in return.

After him was another girl. She had green skin and bright red hair that was cut short and neatly around her face. Her bright, preppy eyes and smile seemed somehow different as if in slight traces of insanity. She wore a dark blue cape with a hood. With it, she wore a sleeveless leotard that was almost completely black except for a red X on the chest. About an inch under her knees, black boots began. With that, she also had black gloves without the fingers attached. "I'm Whirlwind."

Robin stared at her. Miss Martian to Whirlwind?

Next was Conner. He wore a black, tight shirt with long sleeves extending into gloves. Where the symbol representing Superman once was was now replaced with the symbol backwards. He wore the elastic pants now that most superheroes wore and also had a black cape. The inside was red like the backwards Superman symbol. He also had boots on in black with red soles. He nodded. "Anti."

Zatanna's smile seemed cold for a moment before she replied. "Golden Dawn."

Robin's eyes widened as he looked at her. She just gave him an even bigger smile.

"Why are you here?" Robin's voice asked, colder than what the Teen Titans or Young Justice had ever heard him speak in.

The leader held his head high. "We are here for you. We want you to come back to our team."

Robin's eyes narrowed. He wished he had his old team back. It was a nightmare not knowing what happened to them every day, but he had responsibilities. Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire wouldn't have anywhere to go if it weren't for the Titans. And he had a strong suspicion that the same went for Cyborg, although he went into his past as little as possible. Robin could understand that. "I'll pass."

Zatanna, Golden Dawn, frowned, stepping away.

The rest of the team had similar reactions. However, Typhoon, Aqualad, kept his head held high. "I had hoped you would come with us willingly, but we will take you by force if necessary. Team, get ready." He locked eyes with Megan, or Whirlwind, who nodded, activating a mind link as Robin knew they would.

He looked at the Titans, stepping back away from Zatanna. "Team! Go for Kid-Speed Master!"

Before he could say anything else, though, Golden Dawn stepped forward grasped his arm. "Ekat su owt skcolb yawa morf ereh!" Suddenly, a white mist appeared around their forms and when it disappeared, the pair were gone.

"Robin!" Starfire yelled before lifting into the air, eyes glowing and fists ready in rage. "What have you done with him?"

"Yo! Give him back!" Cyborg yelled.

The other team smiled. "Stand down." The leader commanded, pulling out a metal weapon and letting it glow to life with power and water. The rest of the team readied themselves as well.

"No. Give us back Robin." Raven commanded.

"Typhoon! He made his choice!" Beast Boy shouted, a look of almost panic on his face.

"He did not know what he was saying." Speed Master stated. "Back down."

"Man-" Cyborg didn't even finish his sentence.

"You've had enough chances." With that one sentence, the whole of Young Justice charged.

* * *

 

Robin blinked. Suddenly, they were in another entire street. It was abandoned as well and he realized that he could still hear yelling and arguing from the area. His eyes behind the mask searched the area. There was a pizza joint across the street, although abandoned, and a street sign right next to it. St. Barbara's Street. Figured.

He finally looked at Zatanna. She had released him, but stood as close as she had been. Her crystalline eyes were as beautiful as ever. "Golden Dawn?"

She just let a sweet smile fill her face.

Instead of continuing from there, Robin let his hurt get the best of him. He needed to know. "I thought you were dead. I thought all of you were dead."

She frowned, stepping closer and letting a hand reach the side of his face. He didn't push her away this time. "I'm sorry. We would have gotten you sooner, but we had to straighten ourselves out. We had to train. We had to fix our minds."

He frowned. "Fix yourselves?"

"We were all so broken after we had given in, and then we all saw the light. We were just . . . better. We saw what we were doing and, after some time, we began to enjoy it." A dark glimmer to her light blue eyes shimmered before disappearing.

She felt him tense. No, he couldn't do that now. "You're-"

"Ssik em, Nibob." She whispered, closing her eyes.

Before Robin knew what he was doing, he leaned in and let their lips touch. Her other hand went to his face while his wrapped around her waist. He couldn't pull away. He partially didn't want to. They just stayed there with one another. His hands tightening and pulling her closer while her hands ventured to his wild, black hair. It was so soft. She let her other hand move to his mask.

It was then that he woke up in a sense. He pulled away, breathing hard and still feeling her luscious lips against his.

He glanced toward the street that he knew his friends were in, fighting for him. Pain made it's way to his face.

They were all his friends. They were all his family. Only some were supposedly back from the dead. Some were memories come back from his past that he wanted nothing more than to forget. He needed to know that they were dead.

But they weren't.

He looked back at Zatanna, who looked upset and flushed. She stared him down, waiting for him to say something.

"I'm sorry."

With that sentence, he fled toward his team-both his teams.

He was so sorry.

Zatanna didn't try to stop him.


	6. Five: Destroying Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin ends it.

 

When Robin arrived back at the fight, he saw immediately that the Titans weren't going to win this battle. Beast Boy had collapsed, and was struggling with standing. It wasn't going to happen, though, because his leg was obviously bent in an unnatural manner and, unless he was a Flying Grayson, he wasn't going to be getting back up any time soon. Raven was breathing hard, barely fending the team off of her and Beast Boy, whom she had placed herself in front of. Starfire seemed to be missing from the picture and only Cyborg was completely unharmed, but Robin knew that he was most likely the next target that they planned on removing from the picture.

In comparison, the team was completely unharmed. Robin gritted his teeth and took a deep breath.

What he was about to do was going to utterly destroy him and every hope, dream, and prayer he had since the worst day of his life two years ago. He was going to throw everything away. Right then and there, before his old team realized that he had escaped Zatanna.

His hands fingered two birdarangs, and his dark blue eyes behind the mask latched on to Artemis and Roy's positions on top of two different buildings, shooting wildly at Cyborg and Raven. One deep breath and-

The birdarangs flew true, cutting through both bowstrings. He could just hear their curses as they realized what happened, and then their gaze landed on him. As the entire frenzy of a fight around him froze as his teammates, both old and new, stared at him, he loaded his gloved fingers with birdarangs.

Before one of his lost teammates could even breath, the birdarangs went flying. One to Roy, knocking his extra bow (his _only_ extra bow) down three stories where it broke. Another to Artemis, destroying her four remaining arrows that she had stashed in her quiver. Two to Miss Martian as a distraction while one hit Aqualad in the temple, blacking out his vision for just a moment. The remaining three to Kid Flash, who dodged them like Robin knew he would.

Immediately, the battle began anew. Cyborg began fighting again, sending random beams of energy at his old team. Raven's energy seemed restored, her fighting spirit renewed as she continued protecting Beast Boy and sending small blasts at the enemy. Even Beast Boy joined in, shouting random insults and jests at everyone.

Just as Robin expected, Kid Flash and Superboy, now "Speed Master" and "Anti" as they were now calling themselves, appeared on either side of him, ready to fight. Good.

Robin didn't move, but simply waited until they did. Naturally, Conner sprang at him with more force than necessary first and Robin flipped out of the way, using the larger boy's back as a spring board. Wally sped out of the way before Conner could crash into him though.

They began using old tricks of the trade on him, ones that Robin easily remembered. While Wally was trying to distract him with his speed and quick attacks, Conner would try to go for the kill with his brute strength. Thankfully, Robin knew all their tricks and if they had a new one, Robin didn't fall for it.

And then it was time for him to use his own trick. When Wally went for an attack, Robin didn't move. He let Wally hit him in the chest with his speed, feeling a rib crack. Robin knew they didn't want him hurt. All they wanted was to take him safely. A few cuts and scrapes would be nothing; but a broken bone?

That would be a problem.

And Robin was counting on it.

"Rob!" Wally exclaimed as Robin let out a small gasp and fell on the ground. He greatly exaggerated his pain, grasping his chest and breathing shallowly. He could feel it as his former friends fell to the ground beside him.

He looked at his once best friend whose emerald eyes were wide with fear, and he smiled. "Got ya." His voice was quiet, but Robin knew that both Conner and Wally heard the simple sentence.

He darted forward as Wally's eyes began to show their shock; although Wally always had amazingly quick reflexes, it usually took him a moment to process things. Robin elbowed him in the jaw and, as he fell back, Robin gripped his leg, running purely on adrenaline. He quickly lifted his leg and sent down an elbow into the shin, hearing the deafening crunch as a bone broke. Wally let out a strangled cry, one that Robin struggled to ignore.

Then Robin spun around to Conner who seemed to still be in shock. Before the older (ish) boy could move, Robin leaped forward, pulling something out of his utility belt. Almost immediately, a small necklace was placed over Conner's head with a small kryptonite stone on the end. It wasn't enough to kill the boy, he knew, but keep him paralyzed and unusable to the team.

"Stop!" Robin jumped up, a little too quickly for his broken rib, although his adrenaline didn't let him feel the pain.

The voice, Robin knew, was Kaldur's. The Atlantean stood across from him, staring at him. There was a bruise forming at his temple, and his eyes were dark. He stepped forward and Robin pulled out two more handfuls of birdarangs that made Kal freeze in his stance. He knew that if Robin threw those, either he or more of his team would be out of commission. "Robin-"

"Call your team back." Robin stated, his voice dark and detached.

"Robin, just come with us. No one else will have to get hurt." Kaldur said in his calm way that always made Robin feel better when he was younger. Robin was painfully reminded of his big brother as he stood there. This was his big brother.

But at the same time, he wasn't.

"Call your team back." Robin repeated, sounding cold and much more villainous than the man in front of him. "If you don't, the next people I hit will be Roy and Artemis. Then you will have no chance against me and the rest of my team."

It was all lies. Robin knew that right behind Kaldur, Cyborg had just been taken down. As well as that, Raven was on her last leg. Unfortunately, Robin also knew that his adrenaline was beginning to fade.

His rib was starting to really burn.

And Kaldur knew, too. "Robin-" He took another step forward.

Robin rose his voice. "Or I could slit my throat right here and now. You wouldn't have to hurt my team any more and you would fail your mission."

"That's ridiculous, Robin." Kaldur said in a comforting voice, taking another step forward.

Robin dropped three of the birdarangs that had been in his right hand, and put the last one up against his throat. "I'm not kidding."

Kaldur froze. He took a cautious step backward.

"Robin!" Exclaimed the frantic voice of none other than M'gann. Her worried voice had the exact same feeling in it that it did three years ago when she was his big sister. He watched her fly out of the battle against Raven and stop beside Kaldur, dropping to the ground.

"Retreat." Robin stated. "Take your people, leave my team alone so we can recuperate, and stay away from my team."

"Robin-" Kaldur tried, but as he took a step forward, Robin pressed the birdarang harder against his throat, letting a small drip of blood run down his throat as a warning. His face kept it's impassive outlook, even when he saw the horror on his big sister's face.

"Okay. We will retreat." Kaldur agreed. And, just like that, the fighting ended. His old team gathered together and were gone as quickly as possible. Only once he couldn't see them did Robin relax, letting out a pained sigh.

Quickly, Robin rushed to Raven's side. Her cloak was gone, and her leotard was ripped unceremoniously, even missing a sleeve. She had a few cuts and scrapes. Her eyes revealed her tiredness, and Robin could easily tell she was exhausted, but for the most part unharmed.

"Good. They're gone." Beast Boy said, gladly, although he flinched when he moved. His leg, as Robin had already figured out, was broken. "You know, I think we could have taken them-"

Robin glared him into submission. "Did either of you see where Starfire ended up?"

They both shook their heads.

He sighed, nodding. He looked at Raven. "Do you think you can manage to get Beast Boy to the Tower or do you need help?"

She looked at him, obviously seeing the self-inflicted wound at his throat and hearing the abnormality of his breathing. "No, I can handle it."

"Okay." Before he could move to help Cyborg, Beast Boy spoke.

"Wait! What about you? And those people? They obviously knew you-" At the hard, almost pained glare that Robin threw at him, Beast Boy found himself shutting up for once. "I'll explain when we get back to the tower. Not here, though."

And he walked away.

He knelt next to Cyborg and was thankful that he had only sustained a hit to the head to cause him any real problem. That was the only bad injury he had, the rest simply scuffing up his nice polish. Robin woke the mechanical boy, and waited until he gathered his bearings before he spoke. "They retreated. We're the only one's here now."

"Who were they?" Cyborg asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"I'll explain when we get to the tower." Robin stated, helping him up. "Until then, did you see where Star went?"

"Yeah." Cyborg nodded, pointing to a nearby building that had been slightly knocked down on one side. "She went flying in that direction. I didn't have time to check on her."

"It's fine. I'll get her. Can you get to the tower with B.B. and Rae?" Cyborg nodded.

"Good, because Raven may have a little trouble. She's exhausted." Robin swallowed at the end of his sentence, the burning in his chest getting to be very uncomfortable.

"Yeah." With that, Robin nodded and headed over to the rubble of the once proud building. He knelt in the rubble, pulling some away and shifting others until he found a very familiar, but dusty hand. He began to dig her out and soon came upon his friend, covered in dust and unconscious. He sighed, before remembering to breathe more shallowly before he picked her up bridal-style and began walking toward the tower.

He walked slowly, savoring the peace and comfort of his poor city.


	7. Six: Once Upon a Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin begins to tell a story that nobody likes.

 

When Starfire opened her eyes, she was shocked to find that she was in the infirmary with three people, her friends around her. She blinked, sitting up and grimacing at a few bruises. "What happened?" she found herself asking in slight confusion. They all seemed to snap out of their reveries and blink at her.

Then she remembered.

Her eyes grew almost comically wide and she lurched forward dangerously. "Where's Robin? Did you find him? What happened-"

"Star, he's fine." Beast Boy stated, grin on his devilish, green face. Faintly, Starfire realized that his leg was in a cast. She bit her lip, preventing her from saying anything. After all, he knew where Robin was. "He showed up about halfway through the fight, took out, like, two of them, and then two more attacked him, and he got them to surrender! It was epic and all, but kinda scary."

Starfire blinked. "Where is he now?"

Cyborg glanced at her, but she found that his eyes were glazed over with confusion and curiosity. Her breath hitched slightly. "He said that he needed to gather the rest before he told us."

"The rest? Who are the rest?" Starfire spoke, her voice laced with wonder.

Raven glanced at her, dark eyes piercing Starfire's soul. "We don't know."

It seemed like the silence afterward stretched on forever. The silence held by the four of them spoke in a booming voice, seeming to foreshadow a nightmare about to be unleashed. It seemed like when Robin's voice came from the shadows in the open doorway, everyone jumped.

"Come on. They're here."

* * *

 

His eyebrows furrowed as he sat there, deep in thought. After his leg had been set right and his teammates had left him alone, it felt like some sort of darkness had crept into his mind, intent on giving him the worst migraine of his life. Wally didn't like migraines. He knew everyone on the team had migraines, but they _hurt_.

It was only when he buried his face in his hands that he sensed another presence at his side. He didn't look up when she sat beside him or when her hand found itself on his knee.

Instinctively, Wally's hand found the blond's. He let his legs dangle from the side of the rooftop and sighed, ignoring the pain he wanted so desperately to eradicate.

"Is it getting worse?" Her quiet voice was soothing and Wally found himself warm despite the chilly night air. His hand tightened around hers.

"Yes." His own voice was raspy and he wished he could say that it was from pain. The truth was, though, that it wasn't from pain, but from much more. He was emotionally unstable. Pained. Horrified.

"Ours too." She informed, leaning over so she could rest her tired head on his shoulder. Automatically, Wally found himself pulled up, arms around her and her in his lap. She curled up against his chest and they continued staring across the sea of lights. "But they'll get better once our family is back together, once our minds are joined. The pain will stop and our little brother will be where he belongs."

"With us." Speed Master murmured, nuzzling her neck.

She sighed, eyes wandering past the lit up city, across the shore, and to the bright T that stood as a beacon of hope for Jump. Soon, though, it would be a distant memory.

Because neither team could do without their family.

* * *

 

The Titans blinked as they walked out and recognized their fellow superheroes. Aqualad, Speedy, Kid Flash, and Jinx all populated their main room. Kid Flash was sharing a lollipop with Jinx, which disturbed most of the Titans to an extreme, Garth was staring out their window, and Speedy was glaring at Garth as if they had just finished an argument. The senior Titans were thankful that they had missed it.

Kid Flash blinked, suddenly realizing that they had walked in. Shamelessly, he looked at Robin slightly puzzled. "You gonna explain why we're here now? 'Cause at first I thought we were needed for an epic, super-secret mission, but now I'm kinda getting a vibe that-"

Jinx cut him off by putting the lollipop in his mouth. She smiled pleasantly. "Titans."

In the time that that exchange took place, both Speedy and Aqualad had walked up to the Titans, eyes showing confusion. However, by the look on the boy wonder's face, they kept quiet. They waited for him to speak, which wasn't long.

"Speedy. Aqualad. Kid Flash. Jinx. Thanks for coming." His voice was professional, which threw off the Titans as they stared at their leader. Their eyebrows furrowed. "You might as well take a seat. This is going to take a very long time."

Aqualad blinked. "How long? Because my friend-"

"Your friend is going to have to wait." Robin stated, a grim edge to his voice. "Another one of your friends needs you."

Aqualad frowned, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he nodded and made his way to the couch. The others followed him until everyone was sitting except Robin, who stood before them, a frown on his face as if he were trying to figure out the best course of action.

"As you may know, the original sidekicks came in an order." Robin began slowly, eyes a dark blue behind the mask. "I was the first. Then it was Speedy. Then came Kid Flash. Then Aqualad. We were the original four sidekicks to the League members Batman, Green Arrow, the Flash, and Aquaman."

"We know the history. Go on." Speedy stated impatiently, frown on his face as if he were struggling to understand why he was getting a history lesson. He grew silent when Robin glared at him.

"You may remember, but the League didn't tell you what happened to us, did they?" His voice was quiet and seemed to make the dark room even more filled with shadows. "I didn't think so."

The group shifted uncomfortably, the darkness seeming to fill their minds. Raven was the only one who didn't shift, her eyes trained on the gathering storm outside the window. Her mind was distant. The one time she had been in his mind, she saw it. She saw everything. Felt everything. And it hurt.

"Speedy was angry at the League for how they treated us, angry enough that he walked away. He became Red Arrow. However, we three didn't. I hacked into the League computers and we found out about a fire at a place called Cadmus. There, we discovered an underground operation and found Superman's clone. After escaping and setting Cadmus up with the Justice League again, the four of us made up a special covert operations group. Soon, we were joined by Miss Martian, Artemis, and Zatanna. Eventually, Red Arrow joined as well."

"Yes, Kaldur'ahm was my best friend." Garth recalled. Robin's steel gaze lingered on him. Seeing everyone else confused, the Atlantean specified. "He was the first Aqualad."

"Wally was my uncle." Admitted the current Kid Flash, his hand weaving itself with Jinx's. "I don't remember him very much. I almost never saw him."

"Ollie calls me Roy sometimes." Murmured Speedy. "Roy. Roy Harper. That was his name right?"

Robin nodded, almost as if he were dead, void of emotion. "When we began getting more missions and being in our own cities less, many of us were given doubles. Kid Flash, Aqualad, and the current Robin in Gotham city were those doubles. While we worked on the team, you did the rounds on the cities."

Beast Boy frowned when Robin stopped talking, as if lost in his own world. From what he knew, that world was not a pretty one. He leaned forward. "So what happened to make them . . . ."

Robin's gaze snapped to him, a sober expression on his face. "A nightmare, that's what." The biting tone in his voice startled them into silence. When Robin began again, it was silent. "It all began with a mission to Quebec, Canada."

The boy wonder's voice began to drone, the telling of the nightmare pulling the other, unprepared superheroes into a world of hurt and pain, a world that no living thing should ever have to experience.


	8. Seven: Take Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some stories have bad endings.

 

"The mission was simple. Get into a highly guarded criminal operations base, download some information, and get out without being detected. However, it was very dangerous. So Batman sent all of us." The boy wonder's voice was cold, almost detached. Somehow, Raven found herself thinking of stone, it's surface, cool and cracked, but hard. Solid.

But it occurred to her that Robin hadn't been solid in years. Every hit, every lost friend, added one more crack to his carefully molded persona. No one knew he was hurt, because they couldn't see it. No one knew he was slowly losing his sanity, because they only saw a cool, collected outlook. No one helped him, because he wasn't some kid in desperate need of help. He was the boy wonder.

Lightning flashed outside the window, forcing Robin to recall the mission that so long ago had nearly permanently shattered his persona.

* * *

 

_Robin knelt on the ledge, just out of the heavy beating of the rain. His fingers moved like lightning as he found himself struggling to fight the system. He had never seen any computer system like this before and he had a feeling that if this system got on the markets that he wouldn't be much of a hacker anymore._

_He had to endlessly type his codes and react to the defenses of the security system. It was almost like a physical altercation. His opponent would throw an attack and he would dodge and counter. Only now he needed all his focus to return each hit he took. A single bead of sweat slid down his face._

_"Rob, are you done yet?" Whined his best friend out loud and rather distractingly._

_Robin didn't reply. Even hearing KF's voice was hard to ignore. Besides, it wasn't even just ignoring KF. It was ignoring him at the same time that he fought valiantly for the success of the mission._

Robin, have you found anything? _Kaldur'ahm's voice questioned from inside. Robin had already gotten past the security, it was really just locking it down that mattered. Why was it so hard?_

No. Working. Can't. _His simple words were clipped and short, obviously distressing the rest of his team._

You okay, Robin? _Megan asked at the same time many other voices filled his head._

Got it, birdbrain? _Roy teased, not actually thinking for a second that Robin would fail or have any difficulties at all._

Robin? _The one word from Superboy felt like enough. He felt like he portrayed his concerns and hopes perfectly well._

You can do it, boy wonder! _Zee exclaimed, thinking that he just might need a little more support instead of all the questioning._

_However, the crowded words and sentences seemed to attack the struggling bird and when the four separate, loud voices spoke in his mind, it was just enough for his fingers to pause in their epic dance._

_"Darn it!" Muttered the frustrated boy as his fingers began moving double their original pace. He gritted his teeth._ Guys, get out of there as fast as you can. The system got me, but I think I can hold it off of my system for long enough for the completion of the mission. But hurry!

* * *

 

Robin gritted his teeth. "We split up into four groups. Group A consisted of Kid Flash and I. Kid Flash covered me while I hacked the system." Cyborg's eyes widened before narrowing. He was having a talk with his leader very soon. "Group B was Aqualad and Zatanna. They were searching the east side of the building for any written forms of the information and to destroy as many computers and other technology in their area. Group C was Superboy and Miss Martian. They did the same for the west. Group D consisted of our archers. Red Arrow and Artemis stayed on the roof and covered any and all exits."

Beast Boy leaned forward. There was something in the back of his mind that somehow told him that he should know this. But he just couldn't figure it out . . . .

Robin took a deep breath before looking at them. "That's when everything went wrong."

Starfire's lips parted in a silent gasp. She felt the sudden need to know and his long pause seemed heavy in the silence. She bit her lip before gently whispering, "What happened?"

* * *

 

_Kid Flash's eyes were wide as he watched his best friend desperately hack, typing furiously. His eyes were obviously narrowed behind the mask and KF knew that the dampness on the back of his neck wasn't from the storm. He watched in horror as the usually cool blue screen of Robin's holographic computer began flashing red in warning._

_"KF." Robin's voice interrupted his hurried thoughts. It didn't occur to him that Robin might be speaking aloud so that no one else could hear them._

_"Y-Yeah?" Kid Flash replied, eyes wide as a crack of thunder ripped through the night._

_"Go help them search inside." He commanded, fingers still moving desperately as if they could somehow stop the onslaught of ones and zeros that flew across his screen in warning._

_"What?" He exclaimed. There was no way he was leaving his best friend alone! "No! This is my post-"_

_"I said go, KF. Do it." The hard, commanding tone in his voice seemed to stop Kid Flash's breath. Robin hadn't once looked at him, but he knew all too well that his friend had a hard, ragged look in his eyes that he couldn't show to anyone._

_With all intentions to stay, Wally was shocked when his voice whispered "Okay."_

_He heard Robin sigh in relief and frowned before doing as he had promised and dashing inside. Little did he know why Robin was so desperate for him to leave._

_It was because Robin fully intended to sacrifice himself for the mission._

* * *

 

"I was distracted." Robin stated, his voice bitter. "Because of that, the security sent a virus into my computer. I worked to fend off the virus while at the same time finding the information, deleting it, and keeping my teammates protected. But to do that, I had to drop one program, and that was my GPS, so to speak. Before, I had been bouncing my computer's location through five continents and twenty-nine different countries, but when I dropped it, they could find me." The way that his lips slid into a frown made the teens shiver. Horror filled them when they realized what he meant.

"You gave yourself up for the team?" Questioned Aqualad. "For the mission? What about Kid-"

"I sent him to help search to get them out faster. I knew that the security would send someone out to get me and I wanted the mission finished before I was caught so that I could be thought of as the only one involved in the mission." He cleared his throat, the first real sign of discomfort that the group had seen from him. He was good at hiding his emotions. "It wasn't long before I was found and captured. I tried to send my team to another rendezvous point and wait for me so that I could be moved before they tried to rescue me and they wouldn't endanger the mission. It didn't work out the way I planned though."

* * *

 

_Robin felt two pairs of hands roughly grab him and hoist him up against his will. His computer quickly powered off and Robin waited to hear from his team. Fear had welled up inside him and he was afraid that his virus that he had launched into the other system would give out before the team escaped._

_But he had sent Wally inside. He could only hope it was-_

We're out! _He heard Zatanna's voice ring through his mind. Relief instantly made Robin relax._

Finally. _Roy exclaimed as Robin was roughly pushed through an entrance in the building._ Now we can go home and relax.

_They all went quiet in his head before he heard M'gann's voice speak up, slightly worried._ Robin, where are you? The rest of us are already in the bioship.

Rob? _Wally's worried voice echoed._

_As Robin found himself being placed in a pair of cuffs designed so that his hands were completely trapped up to the forearm in iron, he bit his lip, trying to quickly come up with a lie. He should have already had one, but he was too distracted._

Robin? _Kaldur urged him on, a hint of almost parental warning in his voice._

_One of the guards slammed his head into the wall and he bit back a hiss as pain exploded in the side of his head. He could hear him sneer as the other one began removing clothing and weapons as well as feeling around for extra that he had on him._ Sorry, guys. I'm on the other side of the building. Got a couple guys on my trail.

Do you require assistance? _Kaldur's voice was completely tight, as if restraining himself from doing anything._

_One of the guards jabbed him in the side of his ribs as if by accident as he removed one of the many weapons that Robin had hidden on him._ Nah, there aren't that many of them. Just head over to the field on the other side and pick me up. It's only about ten minutes away, though I'd add a couple minutes so I can take out these guys.

If you insist. _Kaldur replied._

_Robin gave a sigh of relief. He had ten minutes before they would come for him._

* * *

"I told them to meet me at a field on the other side to buy me time. I knew I would be moved, because it was a pattern that the group had. As soon as they captured someone or thing of value, it was moved to a singular hideout. I just hoped that I could hold off my team for that long. I couldn't." Lightning flashed and if the team could see his eyes, they would have seen that not even the short burst of energy brought any light to his eyes.

* * *

 

Rob, how long are you going to take? _Kid Flash complained unhappily. Speedsters liked things fast. It had only been five minutes._

It's gonna take a few more minutes. Be there soon, though! _He chirped as he was led through the halls into a main room. He had been stripped of everything but his pants, mask, and gloves (which were almost useless to him trapped in the cuffs). Now, he was being marched to a main room with a tall woman standing in the middle of the room. She pursed her purple lips and walked up to him._

_"Robin, the boy wonder. Good. Good. Very good. You are quite the treat. You will make quite the slave." She shooed the guards away and stalked around him like a hyena. "How old are you?"_

Robin? _Superboy asked._

Just a minute, these guys just don't-

_"Answer when I ask you a question." She snarled, slapping him. He gritted his teeth against the burning in his cheek._

_"I'm thirteen."_

Robin? _Exclaimed Artemis._ Robin!

I'm okay. _Robin said._ Just slipped a second. Be there in five minutes.

_"I see you need disciplining. You must learn your place if you are to remain here." A black lock of hair fell into place in front of her navy eyes. With her hand, she began feeling his muscles, as if checking to make sure that they were real. He scowled at her._

Robin? _Conner's voice cut through Robin's reality and he realized that he was running out of time. They weren't going to wait too much longer._

Just a minute. _His voice rang and he knew that he wouldn't be getting it._

Dude, I'm coming to help. _KF's voice stated._

Wait! _Despite Robin's exclamation, Kid flash dashed into the woods, searching for his best friend. But when he didn't see him, worry hit him._ Dude, where are you?

_Robin didn't answer. It was then that the team realized that something was terribly wrong._

Dude, where are you? _Wally's voice was deadly serious and Dick found himself gritting his teeth. He couldn't answer. If he did, he knew where Wally was going to be._ I asked where you were!

Wally, do not do it. _By then he knew what had gone through Wally's head. Wally knew that he had been captured and he knew that he was still at the building. He knew that there was still a chance to rescue him._ You cannot-

I don't think so! You are my friend! My teammate! We are not leaving you behind! _The Flash's partner exclaimed._

The mission comes first, KF. Do not come back. _Robin's voice was stern, commanding. He knew that somehow, some way he had to win this fight. He was desperate. They couldn't fight these people. None of them would escape. Robin knew that very well. He would not let the mission fail or have his teammates be captured on his watch._

Robin, we are coming in after you. _Stated Kaldur very simply._

No! You can't-

_A slap to the face interrupted him. When he looked up, he realized that the woman was staring at him angrily. "You did not hear a word I said." She scowled. "The first thing to be done when you are sent over will be punishment. And it will be harsh." She tilted his face up harshly, her long nails biting into his skin. "When you are ready to call me master, you are ready for the end."_

_He scowled at her. "Well, that's not today, lady."_

_And knowing that Kid Flash was almost there, Robin used his last weapon against his mighty foes. A low beeping noise rang out from his gloves before an explosion demolished all the entrances, exits, many halls, and all rooms that had any little bit of the information stored in it at one point._

* * *

 

"I demolished much of the building, trying to buy time, keep my team from entering long enough to be transported before they entered." Robin continued.

"But why?" Speedy murmured. His eyes were downcast before, but now he slowly brought his eyes up. "Why didn't you call anyone when you were being taken in the first place? Why not fight?"

At the hard look on Robin's face, Speedy knew that Robin was actually taking what he was saying into account. "There's a time in every hero's career when they realize that a foe is too great an enemy for them. They realize that they have to salvage everything they can so that the wreck from the chaos coming doesn't kill them. That's what happened that day. I knew they were too powerful for us. I was trying to salvage everything that I could." He sighed sadly. "All our chances were ruined on the mission. They were way too powerful for us. We couldn't win in a fight, not a fair one."

* * *

 

_"Get him OUT!" The crazy woman exclaimed as chaos took over. Emergency red lights came on, people were yelling, guards were running, and people were just plain scurrying. "I said OUT!"_

_Quickly, two guards ran at him, and Robin just smirked at them. As they led him away to another room with a transporter beam, he smiled ruefully._ Sorry I gotta go like this, guys.

Robin! Hang on, buddy! I'm almost there! _Wally's voice rang. Dick took a deep breath of smoke and dust. They just had to stay out. They needed to go. Leave him behind. After all, it was worth it._

Guys, escape while you can. _Robin warned. His fists tightened in his cuffs as he grew wary of his team. If they came, it would be for nothing. He was about to be gone. One of the guards nudged him with the tip of their gun and he climbed on the transportation pad._

We're almost there! _Artemis exclaimed._

Hold on! _Kid Flash yelled despite being in everyone's heads._

Guys, go! I'm being transported right now! There's no point to continuing in your rescue attempt. I'm not going to make it out. _As the beam powered up, Robin took a deep breath and prayed that they gave up on him._

_When light suddenly began to fill his vision, he heard one last voice. "Robin!" Zatanna's, yelling for him. She was desperate. She couldn't let him leave. Not now. Not ever._

_But she would._

Please. _He whispered to himself._ Please, just escape.

* * *

 

"I set up my explosions to blow, but it wasn't enough to keep my team out. they got in and they split up trying to find me. In the end, they found me just as I was being beamed over to another hideout, the main one. Apparently, while they were split up, they found all my teammates and captured them." His voice seemed cold. They shivered.

"They joined me soon and we were all tortured until-" His voice was somehow even more filled with apathy and disregard for what happened.

"To-Tortured?" Gasped Starfire, her face going pale.

"Until we broke, one by one. We were tortured by being forced to fight each other, hurt each other, psychologically, physically, and even watch each other slowly fade away." Robin stated.

Speedy's eyes widened in horror. His jaw dropped and he seemed at a loss for words before they finally formed on his tongue. "You-No wonder you were so good at the competition. You had to do it before. You weren't competitive because of your nature, they made you competitive by making it seem like life and death to you." He seemed out of breath.

Cyborg's eyes widened. "I always . . . . You had to overcome it to save us, too. You had to fight the rules. Fight-Oh, man, I wish I knew . . . ." His voice trailed off. Cyborg had judged his leader based on that for the negative, but it finally seemed to occur to him now that it wasn't like that at all.

Now that he thought about it, the fighting must have made his leader begin to have nightmares about that. Cyborg had woke him in the middle of the night to sneak around and find out what was going on. If he had been having flashbacks of what happened when they cheated when fighting in there, then . . . . oh, man . . . .

"What happened then was a nightmare, but it's over now. What's weird is that they aren't dead." The way that his mask never broke seemed to speak loudly to the team. How long had he thought about this to actually be able to say that without a single break in his perfect facade?

Too long.

Jinx frowned. "Well, why did the group want you?"

At the disbelieving looks from everyone but Kid Flash, she realized that they all were wondering how she could be so insensitive. But what she couldn't seem to convey to them the seriousness of the matter. Robin didn't want to be babied. He wanted to find out what was going on here. She could see the thankfulness on his face that no one else did.

"She said she wanted us for slaves." He replied, frowning.

"Well, then she didn't want you dead. So maybe she's a collector. She wanted the full set." Jinx said, her eyes far away.

"Maybe." He murmured. "I'll be researching. I'll be-"

Garth suddenly stood. "We have to call the League."

Robin froze and the original team seemed to freeze with him.

Garth continued. "It's their partners. Their families. They have a right to know. And they could help-" He was interrupted by the leader of the Teen Titans in a clipped, chopped tone.

"You can call them, but I don't want them anywhere near the tower. I won't associate myself with them in any way, shape, or form. You can do whatever you want with them except invite them over here." It wasn't a question. Simply a statement. Somehow, his icy, angry voice made everyone in the room loose their breath. Although the boy wonder was gone as soon as he was done speaking, no one dared speak afterward, knowing that his word was law.

And if you broke the law, you would deal with those who enforced it.

Garth took a deep breath, still shaky, and walked up to the computer before calling the watchtower. When a voice and a matching picture of the Wonder Woman appeared on the screen, the Titans seemed cold.

She blinked. "Titans? Why the call?"

No one wanted to speak. But slowly, Garth worked up the courage to repeat the name he seldom did not hear from his missing best friend. "Young Justice has returned."

When her face paled, the teens realized that this was only the beginning.


	9. Eight: Birthday Presents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The League prepares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: The first bit is a nightmare detailing torture (though not extreme). There is blood.

 

_Robin couldn't help the way that his heart sunk when he realized why he had been getting special treatment that day. March 21_ _st_ _, his birthday, was that day. He was officially fourteen. His hands shook from exertion and pain as he swallowed down the bile rising in his throat._

_He could hear his friend's angry yells as the blade repeatedly slid down his abdomen. In the beginning, Robin hadn't been able to tell why_ _the robots came in. He hadn't known why they didn't brag to his remaining teammates about how their youngest had to spend his fourteenth birthday in the place. But he had figured it out quickly enough._

_They were carving the words right into his skin. It was a birthday present he would have forever. And Robin knew that it would be almost too much for his leader._

_The thought of losing another member of their strange family made Robin's stomach knot. There were only three of them left in the room now. Kaldur, Roy, and him. Conner had broken two days before. Robin knew that it was only a matter of time before he did. Megan had been what held him together, and when she was gone, he knew that Conner wouldn't want to keep fighting._

_Robin had been amazed at how long the boy had lasted, though. Conner was young and inexperienced. Out of all of them, he had thought that Conner would be the second._

_Then again, Robin hadn't expected Wally to go first._

_Robin hissed, pulling against the bonds around his hands. The first few days of captivity, Robin had realized that the chairs could stretch into tables while keeping one's hands and feet bound. Robin had been shocked, though, when his body was stretched almost to it's limit due to his size. Whenever the torture went to long, he could feel the strain in his shoulders and the ache in his legs._

_He hadn't let the team know how much it hurt. He wanted to protect them for as long as possible._

_He closed his eyes tightly as another cut marred his skin._

_"Robin!" He didn't open his eyes to look at Roy. He just sent the older boy a smile._

_"It's okay. I'm okay." He murmured, trying to soothe the other boys in the room._

_But he knew that they wouldn't be soothed. After all, they were watching as he was carved up, his body used as a drawing board._

Happy birthday. _He thought sarcastically to himself as another cut dug into his soft flesh._ Happy birthday to me.

* * *

 

Wonder Woman rushed down the hall. She had called the core members of the League to their meeting room, making sure they knew it was of the utmost importance. Many of them had tried to worm out of it, not realizing it's importance until they heard the almost unidentifiable note of anxiety in her voice and had rushed there.

When she walked in, they were all there. Batman, Superman, the Green Lanterns (well, two of them), Hawkgirl, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter, the Flash, Green Arrow, Aquaman, and even a few others that were important to the League like the Atom, Black Canary, and Red Tornado. Even Captain Marvel appeared.

A frown slid across her face when she thought about telling them. When she entered, the entire focus was on her and she let her fist tighten in anger.

"What's happened?" Batman asked quietly in his brooding manner.

She looked at them all painfully. "Young Justice is back."

"That can't be." The Flash whispered, obviously in pain. "They-They're gone, aren't they?" The way his voice wavered made the room stare. His tone made them remember easily enough why it hurt so much.

They had lost their kids.

Especially Robin.

"And, even worse, they appear to be on the wrong side of the law." She knew that she wanted fly to Robin right then and just hug him. She hated that she couldn't have just gone. But she knew that they needed to know.

"What?" Black Canary jumped, her hands clenched into fists on the table.

"Kaldur'ahm would never do that!" Exclaimed Aquaman, horror on his face.

"None of them would." Captain Marvel agreed, eyes wide.

Wonder Woman waited for a calm before continuing. "And they've tried to kidnap Robin."

The entire room seemed to blanch at the thought. Suddenly, Robin's problems seemed too great. His pain, his torture, his friends, his family-the room was heavy with it. No one dared move.

That is, until the dark knight headed for the door.

"Wait, Batman!" Exclaimed Wonder Woman. "The Titans said that Robin doesn't want anything to do with the League-"

"And? The League doesn't include me in that matter. He's referring to all those in the League that broke him down." Growled the bat in the doorway. "He's talking about everyone in the League that not only reminded him of his ordeal but ridiculed him because he couldn't save them. And he's talking about the ones that make him feel guilty because he thinks that he should have been able to save them. I'm not a part of that." His even, angry monologue seemed to paralyze the room.

Long after he left, they were all frozen.

After all, they had just realized that a boy they loved like family was partially torn apart by the League and he hadn't told them once.

Silence was never a good thing.

* * *

 

When Batman entered his cave again, he began to quickly gather the things that he needed for the long trip ahead of him. "Master Bruce?" Questioned his faithful butler from behind him. For a second, Bruce didn't know what to say, but he quickly found the words he needed.

"Tell Jason we're going on a trip and to pack things for a week. Tell him not to forget his spare set." Bruce didn't look at Alfred as he continued roughly. "And tell him to call Barbara. She needs to come as well."

"Yes, Master Bruce." Agreed Alfred in his calming tones. "May I ask where you will be going?"

Batman paused for a moment, just long enough to meet Alfred's eyes. "Jump."

Alfred's eyes widened slightly, but he showed his discomposure with quick understanding. "And will you be bringing back Master Dick?"

Sadly, Batman's eyes strayed back to his clothing as he stuffed it in his bag. "I don't know, Alfred. I don't know."

Alfred nodded, slipping out to tell the newest Robin the news. Somehow, Alfred knew that something was going to happen, good or bad. Somehow, he found himself thinking it was both. But, looking around, he knew there needed to be a change.

It had been too long since he had seen Dick smile and he missed the presence of Miss Barbara and Master Wally. The only smiles that Alfred saw were those of young Master Jason, and he had few friends that came to light up the halls with laughter.

He sighed.

He missed Master Richard. He missed Dick. And he missed the smiles that were no longer existent.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who made it this far in this fic, thank you. I also have some questions for you:
> 
> What superheroes do you want to see?  
> What student/mentor/replacement interactions do you want to see?  
> What superheroes do you think should have had negative impacts on Robin's healing (post-torture)?  
> What do you want to see in this fic?  
> What villains do you want an appearance from?  
> Which Justice League heroes do you think would be most angry to see only Robin return out of all of Young Justice?  
> What do you think Justice League reactions would look like?  
> Who in the Justice League do you want appearances from (and which ones do you want to think of Robin in a less than kind manner)?
> 
> Okay, thank you again. If you actually feel the need to answer these, I'd love to hear your thoughts or critiques. :) Bye.


	10. Nine: Broken Image

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, Robin can't look at himself.

 

Robin took a deep breath when he woke, shaking and out of breath. Trying not to think about the memory he'd just had to relive, he slid up and into his bathroom. He was thankful that when they built the Tower, they'd created a separate bathroom for each of them. He'd hate to think what would happen if Starfire or Beast Boy saw what condition his restroom was in.

Walking in, he tried not to look at it. The large mirror on the door was no longer a mirror as only a few shards of reflective glass was left to show him his reflection. The mirror of his medicine cabinet was really three mirrors, and they were almost always folded so that he couldn't actually see the mirror. If one looked in drawers, he only had the necessities of a bathroom, and they had been hastily thrown in, some not even taken out of the package.

The truth was that Robin had trouble staying in bathrooms. Though this restroom was larger than some, bathrooms were always small, and they made him claustrophobic. He didn't like to stay in them long, which would explain why nothing was organized like his room's drawers or his desk (though after a long time of research, they usually were kinda messy before he fixed them up, a habit he'd gotten from West Gotham Psychiatric Hospital).

And the mirrors?

Well, he couldn't look at his eyes anymore.

He could remember when everything revolved around his eyes. His friends wanted nothing more than to see them. People always noticed his overwhelmingly blue eyes. He used sunglasses to hide them and his mask always kept them out of sight. He used to love his eyes, the exact same shade as his mother's.

Now he hated his eyes.

His hands shook as he slowly peeled off his mask.

If Robin had a mirror, he would have seen how the right side of his face slowly turned into Dick Grayson's. If he'd had a mirror, he would have seen how the left side marked him as property of the exact same group that had kidnapped and tortured him for months upon months.

Though Robin-Dick (no, Robin was the front, the mask) didn't have a mirror, he knew exactly what it looked like. In black ink were three dots beginning underneath his eye. After the three filled in circles was a sharp half-circle that melted from black into a deep purple. Stretching from the half-circle were two thick lines that turned into sharp points that reminded Robin a bit of a dragonfly's wings, though not quite.

The tattoo was beautiful, but to Robin, it was hideous and made his eye as such. It marked him as theirs. They had been planning on using him to his full potential. They had marked him as not only useful but the one they wanted in their top ranks.

His heart pounded as he stripped from his sweaty clothing. Dick couldn't help it as his eyes kept glancing back over to the mask, desperate to put it back on. However, he refrained, stepping in the shower and closing the curtain.

The hot water burned his pale skin as he washed his hair and body quickly. He didn't want to look at his scars any longer than he absolutely had to. He hated every one of those scars that reminded him of how he couldn't save his friends. He hated the lines spelling out 'happy birthday' on his stomach to the burn on his side to the nasty scar on his chest from his and Zatanna's last fight before she couldn't do it anymore.

Dick closed his eyes, remembering how she had stood over him, tears running down her face and his blood on her hands, shouting and laughing and saying that they won and that she couldn't handle another day fighting against her friends-the people that she loved. Quickly, he shook his head. He didn't want to think about the beautiful girl and her fall. He couldn't do it.

The water stopped as he slid out of the shower, quickly finding a towel to wipe himself somewhat dry and slightly dry his long black hair that fell around his face, covering dark blue eyes. He pushed his damp hair out of his face to press the mask back to his face (where it belonged).

He sighed in relief, shoulders sagging just slightly before he drew himself back up to full height and wrapped the towel around himself, holding it against his hip just in case. With that, he opened the door leading back to the room and took a few steps forward.

However, he stopped cold in the doorway as his eyes and ears showed him the exact thing he never wanted to happen.

Robin felt frozen, as if he couldn't move. He was paralyzed (like his uncle-just like his uncle-no, no, no thinking of that). He couldn't move as he realized that the four members of his team-his new team-were standing there in his room, obviously having been waiting for him.

He couldn't do a thing as they turned around from having heard the door open.

He couldn't do a thing as their eyes widened in horror, eyes trailing down from his face to stare at the ugly scars marking his body.

He couldn't do a thing.

Not a single thing.

 

* * *

 

Superman sighed as he flew across Metropolis, his mind still reeling from Batman's words the last night. Clark had known Dick before he was Robin. He'd been a cute eight year old, though sad. The boy had a charm to him that made people want to be around him-want to protect him. Clark had seen it from every single member of the League that met him to each of the other sidekicks he had met.

Superman let a troubled look cross his face as he touched down at Metropolis National Park, frowning as he stared at the large monument to himself.

A voice in the back of his head snarled that he didn't deserve it. To tell the truth, he knew he didn't deserve it. Sure, he'd saved lots of people, even the world, but he failed those he was closest to. He failed Dick, the boy he couldn't save fast enough. He'd failed Batman-Bruce, who had lost a son and a team. He'd failed Kara, who'd lost a friend, an almost-family, and had lost someone that Superman had especially failed.

Superman had failed Conner. He could still remember every time he'd run away from the boy who'd only wanted someone who could help him, be a mentor to him. Conner had needed a role model and Superman left the Batman to do it.

Clark hadn't even known his name until after the team's kidnapping!

Superman was a failure. How had he failed so horribly?

When the man thought about it, he could understand how Dick didn't come to him over what the League had done to him. Not only did he fail Dick, but he failed Conner, Dick's friend. Superman closed his eyes, remembering.

Clark had never told anyone about it, but Dick had yelled at him-screamed, really. Dick had been angry, angrier than Clark had ever seen him. To tell the truth, the Kryptonian was sure that Dick had never yelled at anyone like that.

Superman sat down at the feet of the monument, taking a deep breath.

It had been at the Watchtower . . . .

 

* * *

 

_Superman tiredly walked the halls of the Watchtower, watching as familiar figures walked past like Icon and_ _Plastic Man. It had been months since Robin returned to the streets of Gotham, never laughing and capturing villains without playing with them. The new Robin was darker, and, though the press could only speculate on the reason why, Superman knew._

_And he wished he didn't._

_Superman paused when he saw the object of his dark thoughts staring out a window at Earth. He wasn't moving, practically a statue. It unnerved Superman._

_Robin wasn't one to stay still unless he absolutely had to. He was always moving, laughing, doing something! He wasn't still. It was wrong._

_Slowly, Superman felt himself approach. He hadn't had any time to really talk to Dick alone. Batman or Batgirl or someone was always around, watching him or talking to him. Superman felt like Dick needed to tell him that they were sorry about what happened-that they cared. Dick didn't need to be alone anymore._

_He wasn't alone anymore._

_When Superman arrived behind the boy, he stopped, ready to speak. However, Dick beat him to the punch._

_"You know, from here, Earth looks so peaceful. You'd never think that it'd have so many problems and evil within it." The eerie calm that was within Dick's voice made every hair on the back of Clark's neck go up. "I bet no one would ever guess that there was so much bloodshed and war down there."_

_Before he could continue, Clark spoke gravely. "Dick." He placed a hand on the young boy's shoulder, watching his dead expression as he stared out of the glass. "I'm sorry about what happened to your team."_

_As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Clark knew he'd said something wrong. An angry look immediately came across his face and he shrugged his hand off of his shoulder, turning to look at Superman, fists clenched. "Don't." He growled._

_To say Clark was startled was an understatement. Clark went to speak only to be cut off._

_"Don't say how sorry you are for something you're not." Dick growled, fists clenching even harder at his sides. Faintly,_ _Superman was glad no one else would have to see this. Dick wouldn't want them to. "You may be sorry for what happened to me or to KF and Kal and Roy. You might even be sorry for what happened to-to Miss M and Arty, but you're not sorry for what happened to Superboy."_

_Clark's eyes widened. "I-"_

_"No." Dick growled, voice sounding almost demonic. "No, you don't get to talk now. You had time to talk before we were kidnapped. Months. For months upon months, you had time to talk to him, to show you cared, but you didn't. You don't care, and you have no idea how he suffered for that. You know, he waited until the last possible moment to get a name because he thought you would name him. He wanted you to have that honor. And you. let. him. down."_

_Clark didn't speak as Dick's voice grew louder. "You never even asked his name! He looked up to you! The only thing-the_ only _thing-he wanted was you to accept him for who he was-who he chose to be! But you couldn't do that, could you? You couldn't even talk to him! Superman." Dick scoffed angrily. "You're no super man. You may be strong, but Superboy-Conner, you know, the name that_ Miss Martian _gave him-was much stronger than you. He is-" Dick's voice cracked. "-was twice the man you will ever be. I can't believe he looked up to you so much! I can't believe_ I _looked up to you so much!"_

_Dick gave a broken laugh, turning away from Clark for a moment. Clark deliberated only for a second before reaching out toward the young boy. "Dick-"_

_Immediately, Dick had turned to snarl at him, his heart beat picking up loud enough that Clark almost thought it was his own. "Conner went through so much! I should have given him more credit. He was still holding on when there were only four of us left! I don't know how he did it after Miss M was gone, but he held on! You wouldn't have been able to do it." The bite in his voice was so ferocious_ _that Clark couldn't help it as he flinched._

_Dick laughed again. "And it's sad, you know, that someone like you could be used against him. You're worse than a deadbeat dad. At least they acknowledge that they have a child! You wouldn't even admit that._ _I still can't believe that Lex Luthor was a better dad to him than you were!_ _That whole 'he's not my son' bull? That's what they used against him."_

_Clark was startled. He had heard from Batman that no one could get Dick to talk about what had happened_ _when he'd been in there. Of course, they knew it was bad from the scars, but . . . they hadn't been able to get him to say anything about it other than a few simple sentences._

They broke them. They're dead. I'm sorry.

_But now that Dick was talking . . . Superman only wanted him to stop._

_"Each one of us had something in our past that they would torture us with! How do you think it felt? Huh? Sitting there and hearing Conner be slowly broken down using the one thing that could really get to him? The only thing he wanted was someone who could connect with him. No one else could do that but you." Dick took a deep breath. "Well, there was Kara, but she doesn't count. She couldn't fix the damage that you caused. In the end, that's how they broke him. It's your fault that he broke!" His loud voice echoed for a moment, seemingly extra loud to Clark._

_Then, the boy spoke softly. "It's your fault Conner is dead."_

_With that last sentence, the boy turned away, his cape falling around him darkly._

_Clark could only stare._

 

* * *

 

 

Clark rubbed his temples. He didn't know what to do. Slowly, he stood, turning back to the statue and wondering. How could Young Justice be back? How could they possibly be alive? But, most importantly, Clark wondered how they could possibly be trying to kidnap Dick.

They were his team-his family. How could they possibly do that? Why would they?

There were so many unanswered questions about what had even happened to them, though, that Superman didn't want to think about it. The truth was that the League didn't really know what had happened in there, and that they probably would never know.

He sighed.

Superman wanted to fly down there and help Dick, but . . . that haunting monologue made him hesitate. Would Dick want him there? And what about Conner? What would Conner do if he saw him?

Clark sighed. This was a nightmare.

"Superman!" A familiar voice called. Immediately, Clark blinked, turning around to watch as none other than Supergirl landed in front of him, smile on her face. "Hey! What's up?"

Clark smiled tiredly before a painful thought hit him. Kara didn't know that Young Justice was back. She didn't know about any of it. They were all her friends back then, he remembered. She had been pretty young and, before they planned on putting her on the League, they planned on letting her join Young Justice so she could have some friends her age. He remembered how much she loved having Conner-Superboy around. She loved him like family before she even met him. Clark could even remember the times she had got on to him about Conner.

Clark took a deep breath before looking at the confused look on her face. "Kara, sit down."

She blinked before doing as he said, looking up curiously at him. "Clark, what's going on?"

Slowly, Clark took a deep breath. "Kara, Young Justice is back."

She seemed to freeze. Superman was sure that he could hear her heart skip a beat at the news. Her eyes were wide. Suddenly, though, she grinned. Then she was on her feet. "They're back? All of them? Even Conner?" The happy note in her voice made Superman cringe.

"Kara," He spoke softly, "they're not-"

"I know." She spoke softly. "They've been through a lot, but they're back! Once they're all better we can be a family again! It'll take a while, but I know they can do it! They'll be back to themselves soon, and Robin-"

"Kara." He spoke again, interrupting her. Her giddy smile immediately fell and he lowered her back into a sitting position against his statue. "Kara, they're not-they're not on the right side of the law." Though he spoke softly, he could see that his words had shattered her entire world. "They tried to kidnap Robin."

Her eyes widened dramatically before she looked like she was going to cry. "Oh, Dick." Her lip trembled. She took a deep breath before seeming to get it back under control. "We need to get over to Titan's Tower right now."

Superman hesitated. "Kara-"

Immediately she was on her feet. "Clark! Are you just going to sit back while Conner is out there? We can finally save him! And-And the rest of them! Artemis and M'gann and Wally, Zee, and Kaldur-and maybe, just maybe, Dick will come back, too."

Superman sighed. "Okay, but-"

Before he could even finish the sentence, she was gone, bolting into the air. Taking a deep breath, Superman went after her, his heart pounding.

 

* * *

 

Wonder Woman took a deep breath when she realized what she had to do. Zatara hadn't been at the JL meeting, as usual. He hadn't been to one of their meetings since Robin (and only Robin) had been found.

It seemed almost cruel to call him up, but Wonder Woman knew he needed to know. Her hand slid to her communicator before she stopped.

This kind of news was something one had to do in person. After all, she needed to make sure that he understood the situation. His daughter was back, but at the same time, she wasn't. She was . . . She was different.

This kind of news would devastate him.

Wonder Woman slid into the seat at the computer, ignoring Martian Manhunter's presence as he walked up behind her. She had a mission as well as a father to console.

 

* * *

 

"Are we all ready?" Spoke the leader softly to the full room. Kaldur's head ached, but he didn't let it show. After all, everything would be perfect once their missing link was back. Everything would be perfect.

"You bet, boss!" Exclaimed Wally, his suit having the hood down.

Artemis rolled her eyes, one hand pressing her black mask over her face. "Yes."

Conner nodded, smile firm on his face while Whirlwind slid one of her soft, green hands into one of his firm, strong ones. Her voice was soft when she spoke. "We're ready."

Zatanna grinned, turning her gaze away from the former Miss Martian and Superboy. Soon she would have her partner in crime (literally) as well. "Typhoon, I think the real question is whether or not you're ready."

Kaldur just smiled at her before receiving a nod from Roy.

"Good. Then we shall wait." Before Wally or anyone else could complain, Kaldur continued. "Tonight we shall strike."

 


	11. Ten: Give Me Purpose, Give Me Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beast Boy needs answers, but almost everyone else needs comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mentioned child abuse. It's in the Kid Flash/Jinx part, and if you wish to skip it, it begins when Kid Flash mentions his dad and Wally's dad grew up together and ends two sentences before the end of that paragraph. It's very minimal.

 

Beast Boy had never had so much trouble sleeping in all of his life, not even after his mom died. At least then he could sleep some, even if his rest was fitful and he'd find himself waking up screaming some time later. However, this time, he couldn't even fall asleep. It was the first time in his life that it had happened.

Every time he closed his eyes, though, he'd get flashes of the Martian villain Whirlwind, but she was . . . different. Her crazed brown eyes were mixed in with flashes of soft, kind chocolates. The gleaming ruby lips turned into a shy half-smile. And he somehow thought that she belonged in brighter, cuter clothing, maybe a skirt. She'd look better with longer hair, too. Somehow, too, he thought she should say something in those specific moments when she seemed to be lost or figure something out-maybe a catchphrase of some kind.

Never before had a villain bothered him this much. He had never had some feeling of who they should be. He'd simply look at them and know that it was his duty to kick their butts. After all, they were the bad guy, and he was a superhero.

He _was_ a superhero. He _was_ a superhero. He _was_ a superhero!

That's what they always said-

He shook his head. What they'd said didn't matter now. All that mattered was the fact that this was so incredibly wrong! With the rest of them, well . . . . Beast Boy didn't know how to explain it! Sometimes he felt that Anti should be softer, more accepting. He felt like he belonged by the female Martian's side. Maybe the redhead-what was his name? Right, Speed Master-should be more real. He should laugh like he's actually enjoying himself and play with the others, maybe one specific partner in crime (though he couldn't for the life of him figure out who that might be). Other than that, he felt almost nothing for them, just little twinges of feeling.

Beast Boy didn't understand it, and it _hurt_.

He sat up, groaning as he took two fist-fulls of hair in shaking fists. "Why? Why don't I understand? What's wrong with me?" He whispered to the dark room, shaking.

Somehow, he felt alone. He felt so alone that he couldn't even describe the feeling. It was so completely heartbreaking that he felt his chest ache as if his heart had literally broken. It was like Terra all over again . . . .

However, he stopped that train of thought. He didn't want to think about her. He didn't want to think about Terra or his mom or this empty feeling or Whirlwind or Robin-

Beast Boy paused. _Robin._ He thought. It was true that he had never had that kind of horrible feeling of complete wrongness before about a villain, but he'd had it with Robin. Robin had been the first sidekick ever, and Beast Boy had spent much of his life idolizing him. However, his first meeting with Robin had left him feeling a little ill.

Beast Boy had wanted Robin to laugh. He wanted him to tell jokes, make puns, and do something . . . something else that Beast Boy couldn't quite put his finger on. It felt wrong when he met the other boy, and he was serious and a bit harsh. However, when Robin said that he didn't do teams-that he worked alone, it was the last straw.

Robin somehow felt like he should be on a team. Robin should be leading a team. Robin needed to have _other people_. The very idea that Robin should work alone had made his heart feel like it was trying to break out of his chest.

Over time, those feelings had started to dull, but sometimes they just didn't. Sometimes they came to him harshly at night, and he would curl up and shake, sweating profusely and shaking because he _knew_ that there was something wrong.

But now that wasn't important at the moment (then again, it was also of the utmost importance). What was important was that these two people were connected. They were on a team together, so maybe . . . maybe Robin would have some answers.

Hesitantly, he slid out of bed, stretching out his aching muscles and allowing himself to move slowly toward the door. He wondered to himself what would happen if Robin didn't know. However, he pushed the thought from his mind. If Robin didn't know . . . well, he had to! Everything seemed to come back to him. And he needed to have the answer.

Beast Boy's door slid open with a silent hiss, and he made his way out of the room quietly. Somehow, though, he felt off. He almost reached Robin's door before he decided that maybe he should wait until it wasn't the wee hours of the morning. He turned back away from the room before he found himself heading automatically to their main gathering room. Maybe he'd get some hot cocoa . . . .

Before he could get halfway there, though, he somehow collided with a very solid wall. He found himself on his butt almost immediately. "Ow." He muttered, wincing.

"Err, sorry." Said a familiar voice. He looked up to see none other than Cyborg. The other male had a dark bag underneath his one human eye. "Beast Boy? What are you doing up so late?"

"Well," Beast Boy began hastily as he stood, rubbing his sore backside, "I was going to ask Robin a couple things, but it's really early, so I thought I would grab something to drink or eat first."

"I was thinking the same thing." The other male said, smiling gravely. Somehow, though, Beast Boy thought he could see a bit of embarrassment. Cy had probably not thought about the time. Beast Boy suddenly felt a lot more accomplished. "We should grab him a drink, too. Maybe it'll give him more reason to talk."

Immediately, Beast Boy's feeling of accomplishment disappeared. He wished he'd thought of that!

The two Titans walked silently together, both lost in their own thoughts. While Beast Boy was lost in his horrible feeling of wrongness and familiarity, Cyborg was thinking something entirely different.

He wanted to know who it was that captured Young Justice. He wanted to know why they were coming for him now. He wanted to know what could possibly break a superhero so badly that they could attack their fellow heroes-that they would become villains. He wanted to know how Robin managed to live through it and still be sane. He wanted to know what Robin did after he returned.

But above all, he wanted to know what they did to his leader, his brother.

And he wanted them to pay.

As the door to the main room slid open with little to no noise, making the dark tower all the more eerie, the two friends suddenly froze. The metal door somehow had been withholding a quiet sobbing from reaching them in the hallway.

They simply stood there, taking in the odd sight for a moment. Kid Flash was shaking, Jinx's arms around him as she whispered things so soft and gentle that they couldn't hear, her eyes teary. Aqualad-Garth was sobbing, curled up so that his legs were to his chin, and his arms were around them. Speedy himself looked severely shaken, but he was talking in a low tone to Aqualad who, in turn, would look up and choke out a laugh or an answer. The sight was heartbreaking.

Beast Boy met Cyborg's eyes for a moment, and they both came to a silent agreement. They quietly backed up, waiting until the door had closed, and they were a safe distance away before they spoke.

"I guess we're not gonna get those drinks." Cyborg murmured halfheartedly.

Beast Boy just nodded in a agreement, not having the energy or the courage to comment on the painful scene they had walked in on.

To their surprise, on their way they knocked into none other than Raven and Starfire, who both appeared to be on their way to Robin's room. It was a bit of a surprise, but then again, it really wasn't.

After all, Starfire had been taken before, on her way to becoming a slave. It was only natural that she wouldn't be able to sleep (or maybe she had fallen asleep only wake with horrifying nightmares) for the connection she saw between herself and the fallen heroes that had come to take away her friend again. Maybe she was secretly terrified of the whole ordeal in a way that she simply could not express.

And Raven _was_ an empath, and goodness knew that the whole tower was on an emotional high, but then again, maybe it was more than that even. Maybe she had seen flashes of the inside of Robin's mind, flashes of nightmares that were terrifying and had secretly bothered her for much too long. Maybe the constant nightmares of friends and family that weren't hers were finally too much for her. Or maybe she was worried for Robin.

None of the Titans spoke until they found themselves outside his door. It was a bit of a rule of theirs (a secret rule, a rule that they all followed without having ever establishing it) that you weren't supposed to go in each other's rooms without permission. Whenever someone broke the unspoken rule, bad things always followed.

"Should we . . . ?" Murmured Beast Boy, fidgeting in front of the shut door.

No one answered, but Raven strode forward. In her wake, the door slid open, leaving them to nervously enter the barely lit room with newspaper clippings taped to the walls. To their relief, Robin was not laying in bed, sleeping like one should be at such a time in the morning. Instead, they noted the uniformly made bed was accompanied by the soft sound of rushing water from his private bedroom.

"I suppose we should wait?" Questioned Starfire, nervously biting her lip. She shifted from foot to foot, obviously waiting for someone to agree.

"I guess." Cyborg murmured.

For a few moments, they all simply stood uncomfortably. Finally, one by one they turned their attention to the newspaper clippings on the wall and waited. Though no one glanced over or acknowledged it when the water turned off, all of them heard it.

And all of them turned when the door slid open.

 

* * *

 

Jinx shouldn't have been surprised when she woke at nearly three in the morning, tired yet knowing that there wasn't any way that she was going to sleep. Thus she found herself wandering back to the main room. After all, the Titans wouldn't mind if she found somewhere less . . . less restricting, would they? That room just felt too lonely for her tastes. She didn't want to feel alone anymore, especially after what Robin had shared.

She couldn't help but feel that it was strange walking as a guest down the hall instead of a villain. It felt . . . odd but in a good way. It was nice being trusted, having someone actually want her around despite the bad luck she caused, the horrid things she did in her past.

Jinx took a deep breath, stepping in the room and feeling a shock go through her body when she noticed Kid Flash sitting on the opposite side on the Titan's ridiculously sized couch of Aqualad. She noted the soft sobbing, but she just as quickly blocked it out. Some might call her cruel for that, but it wasn't coming from her boyfriend, and she didn't know Aqualad well enough to comfort him yet.

She bit her lip. It was true that she and Kid Flash had been dating for a long time, but they hadn't faced anything like this. She didn't know quite what to do, but she forced herself forward. After all, if she could bring herself to become a hero, then surely she could bring herself to comfort the one who brought her to the light side.

"Kid Flash." She whispered once she reached his side. As he looked up, she couldn't help but notice that he looked even worse up close. He was shaking very visibly, and his eyes were red and slightly puffy from unshed tears. His chapped lips parted for just a moment before he gave a pitiful smile.

"H-Hey." He murmured, his voice cracking.

Immediately, Jinx found herself seated. One of her hands intertwined with his while the other softly caressed his face. Very slowly and deliberately, she leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on his chapped lips. He leaned down, seemingly to deepen the kiss, but she pulled back, setting her forehead against his. They stayed there for a moment before Kid Flash exhaled, his eyes closing for just a moment before he pulled away, leaning over his legs. He seemed to draw courage from her gentle hand on his back.

"I lied." He whispered.

"About what?" She urged gently, her hand not once retreating from his shaking form.

"I knew Wally. I knew him really well. He's my only real blood uncle." He was shaking even worse. Jinx wanted nothing more than to help him, but she knew that she couldn't-not yet. It always got worse before it got better. She assumed that the former Kid Flash was named Wally. "Most people assume that I'm related by blood to the Flash, but I'm not. My dad was Wally's dad's younger brother. They both grew up in a bad home and eventually it turned them into abusive people. Wally's dad only got really violent when he was drinking, but mine was horrible all the time, and Dad didn't have a wife to tone him down or stop him from hurting me. For me, the only thing that was good in my life was Wally, my uncle." He stopped as if the topic were extremely painful.

"He must have been a great guy." Jinx whispered, her hand still intertwined with his squeezing slightly. Kid Flash sent her a pained smile.

"Oh, he was. He was the best uncle I could ever ask for." Kid Flash whispered, his gaze back on the floor. "When he got into middle school, he started having less time, but he still checked up on me and made sure he had time for me. Once he even brought over a friend, a brunet who wouldn't take off his sunglasses." He smiled lightly. "It was that time that they found me beaten up really bad and my dad hanging from the ceiling with blood dripping from his wrists. Wally's uncle on his mom's side took me in, and it didn't take me too long to figure out the secret."

"Secret?" Urged Jinx once again, pressing just a bit closer to him. After all, she wanted him to know he had her full support.

"Yeah. The guy was the Flash." Kid Flash shook his head, a small smile on his face. "I was so surprised. I didn't let them know I figured it out. Instead, I looked through their secret stashes. Uncle Wally was a science prodigy. I wasn't much of one, but I could understand basics, and when I couldn't, that's what Google's for, right?"

She chuckled lightly. "Right."

"So one day, I told Uncle Wally that I was gonna be after school for a while working on a project and asked him to pass it along. In fact, what I was really doing was going to the same lab that Wally wrote about in his notes." He chuckled, smiling. "Wally's notes were brilliant, better than any other high school student's. They even had notes of things that could be improved upon. I used those, and I was hospitalized for about a week afterwards, too. But my mission was accomplished. I was made a Speedster."

"Wow. That must have taken guts." She whispered, her eyes staying trained on her boyfriend. She had to work a bit too hard to keep her eyes away from the sobbing form of the Atlantian across from them.

"Not as much guts as Wally." He whispered, shaking even harder. "He was the first Kid Flash. He was the most amazing person I ever knew. When other kids looked up to Superman or their dads, I was looking up to my uncle. I-I-" He cut himself off, pulling her hand to his forehead. He began to gently rub circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. "When he first went missing, they didn't tell us. It was nearly a week after his disappearance that I found out he was missing."

"So long? How didn't you notice?" She whispered softly. His hand tightened on hers, and she caught her breath. Her eyes flitted to Garth for a moment, and she noted the redhead that had silently appeared at his side. She quickly returned her eyes to where they belonged. After all, she and Speedy were the same in one way. They both had someone in need of help.

"The League just kept saying that he was on a mission with the rest of the team. Finally, I lost it and demanded that they tell us where he was on a mission to, and Flash told me that the team was missing." He barely managed to whisper. "Almost a year later, they found Robin. I had hope for just a moment that they were all alive, but . . . ."

Slowly, he leaned back so that he was looking at the ceiling. A single tear slid out from under his mask as he pulled the smaller meta into his arms. He held her tightly, and she allowed him to. After all, there were times when a person deserved comfort, and she knew that it was her job to give it to him.

"But they were gone. They were all gone."

They stayed in that position for a long time.

 

* * *

 

Somehow, Garth wasn't surprised at all when Speedy dropped silently into the seat next to him. The other boy sat there for a while, seeming to just observe him. It was a bit odd to Garth. He and Speedy had a habit of getting into ridiculous arguments all the time, yet here they were, Garth sobbing uncontrollably with Speedy sitting next to him. Shaking almost harder, Garth looked up at the other boy.

"Why ar-aren't you in b-bed?" He barely whispered, his voice thick with tears and choked on sobs.

"Why are you here instead of sleeping?" Speedy shot back, crossing his arms and raising a condescending eyebrow.

In a normal situation, Garth would get offended. He'd probably shoot off his mouth and call Speedy some stupid name, and Speedy would come right back with another even stupider name. They would probably argue back and forth for a long time until they both would go off alone and sulk, not talking to each other until they had to in battle before repeating the whole process the next day.

But this wasn't a normal situation.

"I as-asked f-first." He whispered, desperately trying to reel in his sobs. After all, it was pitiful crying over it. He shouldn't be crying over such a stupid, petty reason when he could be preparing to get his best friend back.

"But I'm awesomer." Speedy shot back immediately.

Garth frowned. "That's not a-a word." He hiccuped.

"It is in my book." He stated simply, pulling off his hat to play with the little feather on the top. Garth smiled slightly, shaking his head. "And you still haven't answered my question."

"Nor you mine." Garth shot back. He curled up tighter into a ball, practically trying to curl into himself.

"Fine. I'll make you a deal." Speedy said, seeming to look him in the eye. Garth couldn't figure out how Speedy could do it so easily considering how red and watery his eyes must look. He almost dropped his gaze for that reason alone. "If you tell me what's up, I'll tell you."

Garth blinked before biting his lip, almost successfully blocking out a few pitiful sobs. He didn't want to talk, but . . . . "D-Deal."

"Well, you first." Speedy stated, his hidden eyes watching Aqualad carefully.

"I-I . . . . Did you know Roy very well?" He murmured.

Speedy didn't question his question, just answered honestly. For that alone, he was thankful. "No. I never met the guy. I saw him once or twice yelling at Green Arrow, though. The guy was a bit of a jerk."

Garth smiled lightly, tears still making their way down his wet face. "I-I wish it were that-that way with Kaldur, the first Aqualad, and me. We were fr-friends, b-best friends. It was always-always the two of us, y-you know? Bu-But then he-he found himself a-a team. He was-as less often, and Tu-Tula and I grew clo-close over his ab-absence."

"Tula?" Repeated Speedy, sending him a smirk. "Is that your girlfriend?" The other boy teased, but Garth only chuckled weakly, feeling fresh sobs build in his throat. He could tell the other was just trying to make it easier in his own way, and Garth couldn't help but be thankful.

"Yes." A look of surprise crossed Speedy's face that he gave a watery laugh at before his face fell again. "Tula was a-amaz-ing. We grew clos-se and began a re-relationship d-despite both of u-us knowing that Kal-Kaldur liked her. We-we kept it secre-ret for a whil-while, but onl-nly from him." Garth paused, his throat feeling like it was closing up.

"And he found out?" Speedy whispered.

Garth squeezed his eyes shut. "Yes. Tula to-told me he was abou-about to gi-give up being Aqualad for her. She tol-told me about the-the way that his fac-face looked. He-He was completely hear-heartbroken. After that, his visits to-to At-Atlantis were sho-short and he ba-barely spoke to us. If he did sp-speak, then he was-was short and polite, almost avoi-avoiding us." Garth shook even harder. For so long he'd been keeping it in that he could hardly seem to breathe as he spoke. "I-I was about to t-talk with him about it wh-when they dis-disappeared. I-I never sa-saw him again."

There was a short silence that seemed to stretch on forever.

"It's not your fault, you know." Speedy finally said, his voice quiet.

Garth couldn't meet his eyes.

"Aqualad, look at me." There was no response other than muffled sobs of shame and pain beyond pain. "Aqualad-Garth, look at me."

Slowly, he turned back toward the archer. "It's not your fault."

Garth sighed. "I-I just can't-I don't-" He cut himself off. He just couldn't seem to find it in himself to pretend that he felt fine. He couldn't bring himself to forgive himself for what happened to his best friend.

Suddenly, fingertips dug into his shoulders. Garth gave a light jolt when he was forcibly turned, and there was an archer only an inch away with an angry look on his face and an even angrier glint in his eyes that Garth could not see. "It's. not. your. fault."

"I-" Speedy shook his shoulders harshly, and Garth winced, trying desperately to hold back tears that just kept coming.

"I said it's not your fault!" The archer scowled. "You stubborn idiot! What do you think Kaldur would say if he saw this? I can tell you one thing: He wouldn't be happy. Now get your head out of your butt, and get ready. You may not believe me yet, but when Kaldur comes back to his senses, I promise you that he's not going to blame you for anything. He's just going to be happy to be friends again with his best friend."

Garth choked on a sob as Speedy released him, placing his ridiculous hat back on his head and crossing his arms.

"Thanks." Garth whispered. Speedy said nothing, but Garth knew he heard him. It was a long silence until Garth spoke again, although a bit shakily. "Wh-Why were you out of bed?"

Speedy simply smirked, not answering.

Normally, Garth would get mad and demand that he live up to his end of their bargain. Normally, Speedy would say something condescending and add in a comment about fish somehow. Garth would get offended, and it would turn into a huge battle royal.

This time, they sat in a companionable silence.


	12. Eleven: I Want to Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin is naked the entire chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mentions of sadism and torture, and Robin has scars (not all physical).
> 
> This story makes me feel like a terrible person.

 

The room was absolutely silent. It was as if the entire world had been muted for just a moment short in time but lasting forever in length. No breath was breathed, no eyelids blinked, no clothing rustled. The five figures just stood like stone statues at the end of the world.

Until the alarm clock exploded.

The figures seemed to be jarred back into reality, finally showing their prolonged reactions. A sharp, surprised gasp ripped from Starfire's throat as she fell a step backwards, Beast Boy stared with renewed horror and a trembling lip, Raven stood, face devoid of any emotion except pure, unadulterated fury, and Cyborg slowly pushed himself a step toward their leader, soft words on the tip of his tongue and his hand outreached.

Robin just stood there, eyes obviously wide behind the mask that was still present. His hair was wet and pulled away from his face as if to keep it from dripping too much on his mask. His chest, arms, and legs, bare to the team shined in the light. His hand was clammy and pale from its post gripping the towel around his waist.

However, the team hardly cared about that.

It was the angry red lines, harsh burns, painful looking scars that marred the once flawless skin that they couldn't seem to get over.

"Dude . . . ." The dark-skinned boy murmured, unable to voice exactly what it was that seemed to hold him in its grasp. However, he didn't have to. The moment his sole touched the ground in Robin's direction, the other boy seemed to have a knee-jerk reaction.

Faster than any of them would have thought possible, the boy wonder disappeared from their sight, stealing back into the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind him. Inside the horrible room, Dick slid down to the floor, his back scrapping against the door. He winced when a piece from the broken mirror caught his back, but he found it of minimal importance after what had just happened.

"Why?" Robin whispered, shaking violently at his post at the door. Couldn't he just have this one _thing_ , this one sight to keep hidden from them? Didn't he deserve to have one little secret, one little bit of peace for his aching mind? Couldn't he just protect his new team from a truth that he didn't want to share?

But of course, he knew that was wrong. He wasn't protecting them at all. He was protecting _himself_. He didn't want them to look at him differently. He didn't want them to see all the flaws documented in his skin. He wanted them to see a different version of himself, one he'd never really been. He wanted them to see Robin, boy wonder, detective, the _best_ at everything he did.

But that wasn't realistic. At one point, he must've known that they would manage to break his mask, steal his secret. After all, they were the friends that he broke his oath of complete solitude for.

" _Nice job, Dick. How do you always manage to screw yourself over like this?"_ He heard Wally's annoyed growl in his ear. His heart beat harder. _"Goodness, you're such a kid!"_

"Shut up!" Dick hissed quietly into the empty room, pushing himself backward against the broken mirror as if trying to push himself through the looking glass to escape the voices in his head. He took two harsh handfuls of his ebony hair and pulled on it, using the pain to ground himself. "You're not real. You're not real. You're. Not. Real." He whispered.

_"Oh, but I am."_ Wally stated, his voice sadly soothing to the distressed hero who sat against the door. Robin's head jerked back up, eyes widening in silent surprise. There before him stood none other than Wally West. He looked older, like he had aged in Dick's mind past his supposed death (and maybe that was a clue to the fact that Dick could never really accept that his friends were dead, even if he knew it was a better fate than what was planned for them). Wally wore a Robin hoodie and a pair of jeans and boots. His red hair was in its usual disarray, and his emerald eyes sparkled. The look on his face was almost sarcastic and angry, just as Dick remembered him when he was most distressed. Wally knelt down in front of him, one hand going underneath his damp best friend's chin. _"And I'm right here."_

"Robin?" Starfire's sweet, wary tone murmured through the door. Robin ignored her.

"No, you're not." Whispered Dick, desperately trying to reapply the Robin mask to his face, his mind. He was shaking hard. "You aren't really here. You're . . . You're out there with the rest of them."

_"But you know me._ _I always go where I'm not wanted."_ Dick tried to recoil, feeling as though he'd been slapped, but the imaginary image didn't release him. He couldn't move. _"And I'm not wanted_ _here anymore_ _, am I? I mean, what other message could you possibly be_ _trying to_ _send?"_ He adopted a ridiculously high voice to imitate Dick just the way he always did before that dratted mission. _"Hey, I have a new team now! Thanks for everything! Bye!"_ Wally scowled as Dick began shaking his head frantically.

"No, that's-that's not how it happened." He whispered, throat dry. He pulled his legs close to his chest as Wally loomed closer, his hand tightening painfully on the younger boy's chin. _He's not real!_ He screamed at himself, terror lurking somewhere in the back of his mind. _He's a ghost from your past! The pain is psychosomatic. He isn't real!_

"Dude, you're kinda freaking me out here." Called Beast Boy, sounding oddly nervous. "Please open up!"

Wally gave him one of those angry stares that Dick rarely saw on the speedster. _"Don't be stupid. You broke your promise. You swore you'd never join another team, not the League and definitely not this stupid rag-tag band of outcasts you have going. Really, it's a joke! A demon-spawn, a broken robot, a replacement, and a fired sidekick all being led by the one who already killed his first team!"_ Wally laughed bitingly, making Dick flinch. _"_ _Twice."_

"Robin, please, man." Cyborg called from outside. "Come out. Talk to us, please."

Dick didn't reply, couldn't, really. Wally eyed him harshly. _"Oh, look. They're calling for you."_ Wally scoffed at Dick's silence. _"Not that you ever respond back. You couldn't even scream very well, even if she enjoyed watching you try to hold it in."_

Dick stared at him with a sad, betrayed look. He took a deep, shuddering breath and forced himself to summon the Robin mask back. It was much easier to be Dick, poor, sad, orphaned, _scared_ Dick who ran away from everything and everyone. "You're not real." Robin stated, teeth gritted. "Go away."

Wally gave him a smile, a harsh one that didn't look right on the jumpy, happy speedster's face. _"Yeah, I guess. This person died a long time ago, right? But I'm still real to you, and the fact that you failed us, led us into her hands-Well, there are things that a person can't forgive themselves for. Right, Dicky-bird?"_ Wally's hand slid to his cheek, and Dick watched as his friend dissolved into mist, leaving behind a ringing voice in his ears that whispered of betrayal and failure.

Dick pushed it aside, stumbling away from the door and ignoring the light stinging on his back. He managed to make it to the toilet before he was sick and then cleaned himself up, pale and cold. It was only when he finished washing his hands and dried them that he realized that the steady dripping on his palms were tears.

So the boy wonder could cry. Who knew?

 

* * *

 

Cyborg was very frankly freaked out. There were many times where he'd been grossed out, uncomfortable, or in frightening situations, but this was different. In all of those times, Robin was still Robin. He was the boy wonder, unbreakable and unbeatable. He was stubborn, sometimes childish, broody (at times), prideful, obsessive, fun, and he was just so . . . Robin. No one could beat their fearless leader.

But for the first time in his life, Cyborg couldn't help but see something in the ex-partner to the dark knight that he didn't want to see. The way that the male's face had looked when he'd exited the bathroom to find his team there was unforgettable.

He looked vulnerable.

It was wrong.

With that in mind, Cyborg pushed away his guilt for what he was about to do.

The oldest male puffed out a heavy breath before turning back to his still pleading friends who still crowded the door. His eyes swept over them, and he let the wheels turn in his head. When nothing good came to mind, he just crossed his arms. "Guys, do you mind leaving?"

There was a pause in which they all stared at him in surprise. Immediately after, though, noise exploded in upset words and unhappy protests. He felt his lip twitch in retaliation.

"He's our friend!" Starfire exclaimed, nothing but concern and pleading in her watery eyes. "We cannot leave him alone in this time of need!"

"I'm not gonna leave him alone." Cyborg stated, voice coming out lower than he expected. Even more surprising was the fact that they all quieted down in order to hear him. "I think it might be easier talking to one of us instead of all of us."

"What?" Beast Boy immediately asked, a hurt look on his face. "But-"

"But nothing. Just wait for a bit. We'll be out soon." Cyborg stated simply. He made sure to keep his voice even. Although he hated the disappointed look on the young changeling's face, time was of the essence. He waited for Starfire or Raven to object, but when he looked up, there was a look of support on Raven's face that surprised him. He'd actually expected her to object considering that she and Robin had the best connection between anyone on the team.

Maybe he should have taken her support as a good sign.

"But-But we-I-" Starfire's jabber of random objections was cut off by Raven's firm hand laying itself on her shoulder. The girls looked at each other, Star's expression breaking and Raven's only softening slightly. After a moment, the redheaded alien nodded.

Cyborg watched in slight confusion as Starfire exited, Beast Boy in tow. Raven simply stood there for a minute, staring at him the deafening silence of the darkened room. "Be careful." She finally stated, eyes abnormally hard before she turned away.

As soon as she was gone, Cyborg turned to the door. He took a deep breath before gripping the doorknob. It turned slowly in his grasp, showing that the only barrier between Robin and his team had been an open door.

It was a sick joke.

The moment the robotic male entered, his eye darted around and began to take everything in. The small cabinet above the tired sink had it's three-way mirror folded so that no reflection could be seen. The small cabinet in front of the toilet had a drawer open in which Cyborg noted nothing was opened, just haphazardly tossed in in their packaging. He just caught the back of the door he entered though as it swung closed and noticed the broken mirror, obviously shattered and minus most of the pieces, though one piece was stained red. The shower was still wet and, perched on the side of the tub, the boy wonder sat.

Robin was completely stiff in his oddly submissive position. His feet, bare and still shining from his shower, were planted on the floor. His arms laid limply in his lap that was barely covered by his towel, the only thing he wore besides his mask. His head was bowed, dark, wet locks falling in front of the barrier between his eyes and the world.

Cyborg pushed a breath out of his lungs, pretending that he was okay with being allowed to see this side of his friend _as well as all the scars_ -

The boy crossed out the last part of his thoughts, pushing them away. He slowly lowered himself down onto the tub ledge next to his mostly nude friend. The younger gave away no clue that he realized that he was no longer alone.

The older tried to pretend the silence didn't bother him, but he found that he was already ignoring too many things to push away such a minor discomfort as well. He looked everywhere but at his friend. The walls were too white, the sink too drab, the floor slightly damp, the door was shut, blocking escape-

Whose escape, though?

He focused on the door, listening to Robin's quiet breaths and noticing how they were slowly picking up speed, just a little bit. He ignored the little twinge he felt run though him, choosing not to check exactly how fast they were picking up. He couldn't measure distress in numbers. It wasn't right.

He closed his eye, thinking back. He didn't want to think of the leader of the Teen Titans this way, even if it was nice to know he was human sometimes. Well, he was the most human of all the Titans, but it was hard to see him as such.

The only time he could really think of when Robin seemed truly human to him was . . . .

_"Titans, go!"_

_"Now there's an idea!"_

_"_ _Wanna give this guy the sonic boom?"_

_"I got the sonic if you got the boom."_

A slight smile lifted the corner of Cyborg's mouth despite the situation.

That was their first real argument, and, although Cyborg had been angry enough to walk away for a bit, that had really cemented their relationship. When he'd returned to his team, they'd all been separated in a dingy part of Jump with baby goo monsters after them.

But to him, that had been of minor importance. He had an apology to deliver.

 

* * *

 

_Cyborg couldn't honestly say he was surprised once he'd entered the dimly lit area. His eye wandered among the darkened hall, looking for signs of one of his friends. He could've sworn that he'd seen the tail of a golden cape, but he couldn't be sure, especially considering how empty the area was._

_However, judging by the littlest bit of moving, purple sludge, he knew that someone must've been there. He frowned, noting the double-doors at the end of the hallway. Slowly, he made his way toward them._

_He opened them and was extremely surprised to find that there was no floor. Eye wide and arms flailing, he found himself falling. It was only by luck that he landed on a moving conveyor belt. He grimaced, sitting up and shaking his head to refocus._

_Then, he saw them._

_Robin had the thing on him. He couldn't make out its shape from such a distance, but he could tell that it was about three or four times his size, and Robin_ couldn't get it off of him _. His insides burned as he realized that his friend was about to reach the end of the conveyor belt._

_Metal fingers icy, he pushed himself to his feet and rushed forward. A little lull of comfort hit him when he saw Robin begin to move his legs in a fashion that would get the monster off of him, but the worry returned twice as bad when his friend flipped over the side._

_Fear hit him as his legs began moving faster because-no please no-he needed to apologize, and you can't apologize to a dead man. It was silent for a moment before there was a groan of metal. Immediately, Cyborg felt a bit of relief._

_That meant that Robin had managed to hold on-_

_"AHHHH!"_

_And then, he just made it to the edge in time to grasp the brunette's hand, stopping the younger from falling into the containers of acid far below. He held the boy a moment, noticing how ridiculously light he was (Had he eaten recently? He really needed to eat more.) before pulling him up. He stood, suddenly relaxed now that he was by the younger boy's side and he was safe._

_Robin panted, hands on his knees, green light reflecting on his sweaty face._

_"I still got the sonic if you still got the boom." Cyborg's voice echoed through the room as they stood on the now broken conveyor belt._

_There was a pause before Robin looked up, a smirk on his face. Cy wasn't quite sure what it was, but there was something in his face. Gratefulness? Happiness? Relief? He wasn't sure, but he wished he was. For the first time, Cyborg really was tempted to remove the mask, see if he could see what was hidden in his eyes. He wanted to know what was going through his friend's mind-_

_"_ It started as soon as we woke up. _"_

 

* * *

 

Cyborg's eyes snapped open as he was dragged to the present by his friend's words. His head snapped to the side, staring at his completely immobile leader. The young man hadn't moved a muscle, but Cyborg knew his friend's voice. "What?"

"It started the moment we were all awake." Robin repeated. "We'd all been knocked out some way or another. My friends were knocked out in order to subdue them, but I was knocked out by the transporter device. It's technology wasn't as good as the League's, making the transportation kind of disorienting." Robin murmured in an oddly strong voice. "I woke up in a chair like . . . like the ones Mad Mod used on us, only more metallic."

Cyborg was silent, listening with his heart beating faster and faster. It was easy enough to figure out that Robin was talking about when his other team had been taken by . . . by someone. He had a sudden epiphany as he realized that he didn't know who had done this to his friend. It felt . . . wrong. More than that, it felt . . . . Cyborg's heart shuddered. He couldn't even describe how it felt. Without knowing who it was, how could Robin ever get justice? How could he feel safe? How could he know that whoever had done this to him was going to pay? How could he let himself finally heal?

He couldn't.

"Everyone was bound differently. Well, mostly. Artemis, Red Arrow, and I were bound the same since we were humans, but other than that, we were bound differently." He stated simply. Robin took a deep breath, continuing on. "After everyone woke up, they were angry at me for what I tried to do, and I yelled back." He whispered the last part, and Cyborg felt himself shift closer automatically.

"That's not your fault. It was a bad situation." He said hoarsely. Robin laughed, and Cyborg found it oddly easier not to recoil as the boy finally began showing some emotion. Robin leveled his gaze at his friend, a strangely disturbing smile on his lips. However, Cyborg was most disheartened by the dried tear tracks running down the normally hard boy's face.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this." Robin said, looking as if he were on the verge of hysteria. Cyborg found himself shifting a bit closer until his metal leg was touching Robin's nude one. "I shouldn't be unloading all this crap on you. I'm sorry."

"I want to know." Cyborg cut him off, hands shaking slightly at the surprised look that crossed the younger (yet somehow older) boy's face. "I want to know."

"Okay." Robin whispered, swallowing. He took a deep breath, speaking lowly. "The wo-woman who ran the operation," Cyborg pretended he didn't notice the way the boy wonder's voice cracked just slightly on the word for the leader of the criminal organization, "entered, and when she did, she switched the chairs."

"Switched the chairs?" Repeated Cyborg questionably. To be honest, though, he wanted to make sure that his friend was grounded in the present. He didn't want to see him become so wrapped up in a memory that he forgot what was real and what wasn't. It was dangerous, and Cy didn't know if he could handle seeing his friend like that.

"Yeah." Robin stated, still not looking at his friend. "The chairs would sort of change. The seats would unbend, and the chair arms would rise up, so we'd be stretched out on tables with our hands above our heads. It was worst for me, though."

"Why?" Cyborg asked, not knowing how much he could handle of this story.

"I hate being short." Robin whispered, and Cyborg was caught of guard by the seemingly large topic change. "The chairs were fine for people as tall as Aqualad and Red Arrow and even Megan and Zatanna. The chairs weren't designed for thirteen year old midgets." He muttered.

Cyborg winced at the harsh wording and wondering where he'd heard that. People didn't call themselves things like that without being told it first. He moved his leg against Robin's slightly, hoping it would give him all the support he needed silently.

"I was stretched to the point that it physically hurt. My joints practically almost came out of my sockets. And, after spending so much time staying still, it really _hurt_." Robin whispered. "The wo-woman-She must have known."

There was something in Robin's voice that set off warning bells in Cyborg's head that he hadn't heard for a long time. It was a protective instinct that he rarely felt with his leader. Normally, it was reserved for Beast Boy (because, boy, did he need it!) or maybe one of the girls, but he'd never heard it ring so harshly. He swallowed, watching as Robin slowly locked his gaze on Cyborg.

"Because she _laughed._ " The boy wonder breathed.

There were some experiences-some parts of life that weren't told for a reason.


	13. Twelve: Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Speedy gets mad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Implied sexual abuse.

 

_Garfield stared in wonder at himself in the mirror. The eight (and a half!) year old had been coming to the bathroom to stare at himself for nearly a week. Shirt off, his eyes wandered over his chest where his skin was changing color._

_A childish excitement rose up within him. Staring at his front where small, green splotches were beginning to form above his heart, a grin split his face. He turned, staring at his naked back where more green_ _spots were rising. He could barely contain his excitement._

_He must've had little bits of green masking his peachy skin for a long time, but this was different. They were dark and very visible where before they were near lime and could be written off as grass stains. Now, though, they were dark._

_"This is so cool!" Gar breathed, eyes wide._

_Green skin! What more could a kid ask for? It was the coolest thing ever!_

_Suddenly, he paused, smiling still to himself. His mom! He had to show his mom! She would think it was crazy! He couldn't wait to see her reaction!_

_Not bothering to grab a shirt, Gar pushed open the bathroom door, his ivy speckles prominently displayed. His footsteps were loud as he bounded through the little house, voice loud. "_ _Mom? Mom! Mom, look! Look!" He paused, frowning. "Mom? Are you in here?"_

_The sound of footsteps met his ears, and his flamboyant grin returned. He practically leaped through the air, past the bookcase, and around the corner before his mother could reply. However, he seemed to freeze once he'd rounded the corner. "You're not my mother." He whispered, eyes wide._

_Four soldiers stood before him, garbed in gray and each holding a gun to their chest. His eyes, still a bright blue, were wide as they took in the tanned men. In turn, the soldiers stood for a moment, though they came out of their reveries much faster than the stunned eight year old._

_"That must be the kid." Murmured a fifth as he entered the room, standing behind the rest of them. Sudden fear clogged Gar's throat, making his eyes widen. The kid? Had they been waiting for him? An even worse thought flashed though his mind, clearing his airway as panic began to claw its way to the surface of his mind._

_"Where's my mom?" He asked, voice trembling._

_"Look at his skin!" The one next to the old television said, seemingly taken off guard. His eyes, visible underneath his helmet, were locked on the semi-nude form in front of him in disgust. "It's green!"_

_"I knew it! Queen Bee must want him for more than just a hostage." Snarled the one closest to him. "Come on. We have a mission." Stated the soldier, an American accent clouding his English. As he stepped forward, the others began closing in._

_Almost immediately, Garfield felt himself tense up. He wasn't good at running away._ _He never was, nor would he ever be. His legs trembled where he stood, and he closed his eyes, fear making his lungs quake and shudder. "Is my mom okay?" He asked, youth peaking through._

_Suddenly, there was a loud gagging noise. Gar opened his eyes to see his mother choking out the guard nearest to the door. There were shouts, and suddenly, the other three flew at each other, slamming their helmets so hard together that Garfield could hear their headaches beginning to form. He looked up in surprise as his mother rushed toward him, her eyes oddly controlled._

_"Garfield, are you alright?" She questioned, ignoring a stay red strand of hair hanging in her face. The child just stared at her. Finally, she shook him (a bit harshly). "Garfield!"_

_He blinked, then a worshiping grin split his face, eyes beaming. "That was awesome!"_

_She sighed in relief, sagging just a little. Then, she looked back at him, the look in her eye stern. "Listen carefully, Garfield. I need you to come with me, no buts. Joe will take care of the animals while we're gone, okay? We just need to go right now."_

_He blinked his wide eyes in confusion. "What about clothes-"_

_"I've got them!" A voice called behind him. Slowly, the boy turned to see another redhead with big brown eyes and dark green-_

 

* * *

Beast Boy gasped as he was jarred into awareness, forest eyes panicked. He shut his eyes, letting himself linger just a moment before forcing away the memories. They made him nauseous. He took a deep breath, forcing it away before looking up again.

Raven stood awkwardly, her dark eyes locked on his. After a moment, she pulled her hand back from its place reaching out toward him and pulled her cloak around herself. She cleared her throat, barely looking at him. "You were having a . . . dream."

She didn't specify, and Beast Boy was thankful. He didn't know if there was a word for those dreams. They coincided with many of his memories, but they were different. They felt wrong, _warped_ , and yet, they felt oddly right. Once he woke up, though, he'd tremble, trying to remember that face that was so similar to his mother's . . . .

He shook his head. It wasn't time for him to remember his nightmares when Robin's were coming for him. He forced a smile at his unbelieving friend. "So, uh, hi?"

"Hi." She deadpanned, seeming not to mind the fail of a topic change. "You fell asleep about an hour ago. We're just waiting for Cyborg and Robin to return now." She stated, turning away from him. She picked her book back up and plopped herself back down where Beast Boy had watched her sit when they'd first left Robin's room.

Beast Boy winced, stretching out his back and listening to it pop painfully. He grimaced, standing.

After exiting on Cy's orders, they'd all returned to the main room. By then, Aqualad had fallen asleep on Speedy, Speedy had been reading, resting his hand in the Atlantian's dark hair, Jinx was smiling at Kid Flash, and the said speedster was eating. It was much less depressing, and, with it, the Titans the tower actually belonged to were able to rest. Raven went to reading in the corner, Starfire joined Kid Flash and Jinx (and was having a strangely good time), and he had went to the little bar in the kitchen area.

Of course, now he regretted it. Falling asleep while resting his face on the cold table and having his spine painfully bent as he leaned over the bar for an hour was not what he considered a good pass-time.

He frowned, making his way to the couch with the laughing alien princess, hungry speedster, and bad-turned-good bad luck bringer. Though he sat with them, he spent the majority of the conversation (a weak one at best) listening for the sliding door.

He really couldn't focus on their pitiful conversation. It was just . . . hard. All he could think about was the dream, that other team, Robin, _those scars_ -Goodness! He screwed his eyes shut but quickly reopened them. All he could see were those scars. He shook his head in shame. After all, they'd practically walked in on him in only a towel, even if he did the walking. It was natural to be uncomfortable. Then again, a normal teenager wouldn't have those scars . . . .

When it finally came a grueling four minutes and forty-three seconds later (yes, Beast Boy counted), he felt his lungs freeze in his chest. Slowly, the silent members of the room turned toward the open door, noting the two figures.

Robin stood as straight as ever, gaze silent and steady as his eyes raked the room. However, there was something . . . off. Maybe . . . maybe it wasn't Robin. Beast Boy's eyes immediately flew to his best friend, noting how oddly tense he was. Cyborg's eye rested on Robin. He looked . . . worried. Though anyone else might have missed it, there was a set to the partial robot's jaw that just spoke to Beast Boy, whispering of his friend's off-put mind.

And, for the first time ever, Beast Boy felt a little jealous.

Okay, that was wrong, and it came out wrong.

Beast Boy wasn't jealous that Cyborg was trusted with information that he knew was painful and scary (based on those scars). There was a part of him, a large part, that didn't want to know at all. It just wanted to keep pretending that Robin was untouchable and perfect, and there was nothing that could possibly break him.

No, no, Beast Boy was jealous because Cyborg was _trusted_. He knew it was petty and a bit selfish, but he wanted to be trusted. He knew he was young, but for being so young, he was experienced. He wished that for once, just _once_ , that Robin would talk to him. He could see it in the older boy's face-the distrust, the mask.

He let in Raven, Cyborg-Why not him? Why not Starfire?

Beast Boy took in a deep breath, pushing it out, and focusing again. It wasn't time for this. He had questions, and he wanted them answered.

Robin sat down at the center, Cy standing a bit to the side. Unconsciously or not, Beast Boy could easily read the other male. Cyborg was automatically acting as a shield, protecting their leader. If not for the situation, he would have been ridiculously confused. There were few things that their leader needed protection from.

Robin took a deep breath and patted the seat beside him, looking calmly at Cyborg. His expression seemed dull, but the oldest among them must've seen something in Robin's face because he looked at him and, after a moment of silent conversation, sat down beside him. Robin laced his gloved fingers together, and Beast Boy had an odd vision of those fingers unclothed, scared and hidden from the world forever. The little arm he showed appeared perfect, but Beast Boy didn't believe it anymore. Robin had to have been using makeup.

Those scars . . . .

"What do you want to know?" Robin's voice interrupted his reverie. Oh, right. Robin.

Beast Boy was shaking. For one of the first times in his life, he didn't _want_ to speak. He didn't want to know the answers to his questions. They were just . . . painful, for both him and Robin. However, he needed to know. His mouth opened-

"What did they want you to do?" Starfire asked softly, leaning forward. Her hands were shaking so badly that she was clenching them tightly in her skirt.

Robin looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"You-You said they wanted you as slaves." She whispered, taking a deep breath. Her green eyes sparkled sadly as she spoke-not with pity, though. Her eyes shined with experience, an experience that made all the hairs on the back of nearly everyone's necks rise. "There are different kinds of slaves. Worker slaves, messenger slaves, fighter slaves, passion-" She cut herself off, clearing her throat. "What-What kind of slaves did she say she wanted?"

During her slightly rambling explanation, Cyborg's hand had slowly moved to his friend's shoulder, and for the first time, everyone in the group noticed how his hand remained there, not shaken off by the stubborn human. It was odd and not reassuring in the least.

Robin looked at her with a soft expression, one he usually reserved for situations in which it was just him and one other. It was soft and caring, a strange look on the usually stoic boy wonder, but it wasn't an unpleasant look.

"She said she wanted us as a team." He murmured, his tone even softened. It was as if he were talking to a scared, injured animal. He smiled at her despite his less than pleasant words. "She wanted a group of workers that she could send on missions and have do her dirty work like the League. That's all she wanted."

The only one who seemed to pick up on the lie was Cyborg, whose grip tightened to the point of discomfort on his friend's shoulder. Almost immediately, it lightened, but Cyborg's worried eye remained on the boy wonder.

"What-What did it take?" Aqualad asked softly. Though Speedy and Robin seemed unsurprised, everyone else jumped, under the impression that he had been asleep. He took a shallow breath. "What did it take to get to him?"

Speedy shot him a look. "Don't do this to yourself." He whispered just loud enough for the brunette to hear. His hand left the boy's hair and gripped his shoulder, tightening painfully, though Garth didn't even flinch.

Robin stiffened, closing his eyes. For just a minute, he seemed lost before he reopened his eyes. He took a light breath. "Although I know I'll have to tell you soon, I can't. Not yet. You need to know so that we can have the best chance of saving him, I know, but I can't tell you yet. I'll tell you tonight, but we both need time to prepare."

"Just-Just tell me it wasn't Tula and me. It wasn't us." He whispered, ignoring the warning look on Speedy's face.

Robin looked away, voice softening as it did with Starfire. "I can't tell you that."

Aqualad closed his eyes, putting a hand over his face to hide their contorting features. He breathed out slowly. "Neptune's beard."

No one spoke for a moment. Finally, Jinx spoke. "Why are you so against League involvement?"

Kid Flash sent her an indecipherable look, and she stared right back. He took her hand, and the two of them returned their heavy gazes to Robin, who pursed his lips as he seemed to think of a good answer (or excuse). "Some of them," He hesitated, "aren't exactly friendly when it comes to this topic."

"What do you mean?" Beast Boy asked, sitting forward.

"Some of them are under the impression that I directly led them to her, possibly on purpose." Robin paused, taking a short, deep breath. "That it's my fault they're gone."

Speedy's head snapped in his friend's direction, eyebrows furrowing. "You can't be serious."

Robin's silence said it all.

"Names." Speedy growled, teeth clenched.

A look of surprise crossed Robin's face, and he frowned, leaning forward with a concerned look crossing his face. That only made Speedy more angry. Had no one defended him? Made sure that he knew he wasn't to blame? He gnashed his teeth harshly. "Speedy-"

"Names." He repeated, eyes trained on Robin's still stunned face as the first morning's light began to light it through the window. "You may be an idiot with a big name, but nobody talks that way to my friends, especially not when they don't have the courage, skill, experience, or intelligence to match." He snarled.

"Speedy-" Robin tried again.

"It was Booster Gold, wasn't it? Guy's all talk." Speedy muttered to himself. "The Chief? That Gardner guy? Hal? Rayner? Those Lanterns are jerks! Who?" Aqualad sat up, eyes wide and locked on the angry archer as he continued to list names. "Question? Elongated guy? Vixen?"

"Speedy, it doesn't matter." Robin interrupted, raising his hands in a nonthreatening way (that was entirely too threatening). "Really-"

"Uh, yeah, no. You can't let them get away with talking like that to you! You-You were tortured!" He shouted, jumping from his seat and pacing, glaring as he tried to sort out his thoughts. "You'd think they knew better. They're heroes! What kind of a hero treats a torture victim-"

"Speedy, it's okay." Robin whispered, interrupting. "I mean, I get it. I failed to hack the system, I got caught, and because of that-"

"No." The redhead interrupted, glaring hard enough to kill. "No, you don't get to say that. You didn't fail anything. This is not your fault, and I don't care what they said. It's _not your fault_." The snarling archer glared at him. " _Names_."

Robin simply pressed his lips into a firm line. "No."

They stared at each other for a few minutes, the other Titans staring, unsure of what to do. Finally, after too long of both of their wills remaining strong as iron, Garth stood and touched his friend's arm.

"Not now." He whispered softly.

Speedy gritted his teeth, glaring at the sad look on Aqualad's face. He turned to Robin. "Later. I want those names."

A ghost of a smile lit the boy wonder's lips before it was gone, and Speedy was seated. "Any other questions?"

There was a pregnant pause before Beast Boy finally decided that, yes, it was time to let go of his childish fears. He took a deep, steadying breath before raising his eyes. His lips had just parted (for the second time) when-

"Yes, I have a question. Why weren't we invited?"


	14. Thirteen: Kiss Away Your Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beast Boy makes a promise, and Starfire knows when people lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Referenced Sexual abuse. If you want to skip it, it starts when Starfire enters Robin's room (after Beast Boy's room scene) and ends when Starfire says "Gulufnog."

 

A tight smile slid across the boy wonder's face as he stood to face none other than three of the more familiar superheroes on the League, Superman, Supergirl, and Rocket. He stood but made no attempt to approach, realizing that they were all seeming to speed toward him, not wasting time on walking like normal humans.

Well, all except Superman. Robin greeted the two girls before giving a curt nod to Superman who had walked a bit stiffly behind the two teenage girls. His gaze was as polite and respectful as always, making Dick's fingers want to clench automatically.

It was like looking at Conner after the woman-

_No._ Dick thought immediately, shutting down that train of thought. _Not now. Not here._ He refused to think about it.

"It's been so long!" Supergirl gushed, and Robin got the impression that she'd been talking for longer than he'd been listening. He forced himself to focus on her words as not to miss anything else. "It's been months since we've spoken!"

He smiled softly, a smile he had reserved just for her, Kid Flash, and Rocket once he'd come back to his senses. He could feel the Titan's burning gazes on him as they struggled to understand just exactly what was going on. He forced himself to ignore them. "Yeah. It's been a while."

"So what have you been up to?" Rocket questioned, her smiled decidedly fake (yet real enough to seem to fool many around her). Her only tells were in the slight stiffness of her back and the lack of happiness in her eyes.

"Well, I joined a team." Robin stated, his eyes flickering to them for just a moment. "But you knew that."

"You're right." Rocket murmured, her fake smile dropping into a soft curve of her lips that signaled being lost in happier, harsher memories. Robin could relate.

"We all did." Supergirl whispered. Robin's eyes went to the blond, and he couldn't help but remember the almost arrogant confidence she used to walk with, fly with, and fight with. However, looking at her now, her body was slightly lax in an almost defeated way as if she'd been walking miles in the desert with no sleep. It was a sad statement that he could relate. "But we're here because-"

"Because of Young Justice." Robin cut in, sparing her from saying the words known in the Justice League as taboo.

Superman nodded affirmatively, his tone polite and careful. "The League has made arrangements with the mentors." He began softly, seeming oddly submissive underneath Robin's careful eye. He raised his chin slightly, trying to give Robin the respect he deserved while knowing that the League wouldn't back down on certain terms. "All of them will be arriving within the city within the next three days."

Robin's lips thinned, and Speedy seemed to bristle a moment with anger. The tension in the room seemed to skyrocket, but before any of the frozen heroes could speak, Robin began arrangements.

"Mentors and specified heroes only will be allowed into the Tower and in our briefings. Aquaman and Aquagirl, Zatara, Black Canary, Red Tornado, Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel only will be allowed rooms to stay in the Tower through this case. Any and all other heroes will be required to request permission to enter Jump or else they will be forcibly removed." Robin eyed him critically, and Superman did not question that he was unwelcome in the Tower. If it weren't for Supergirl, he might have already been forcibly removed, as Robin put it. "I expect all those who expect to help with the investigation and securing of Young Justice to be present by seven later today, whether or not they are packed and ready. There is a zeta in the garage. Information shared at that meeting will be crucial to the case and will not be repeated afterward."

"I understand." Superman stated. "I will inform them."

The man of steel stepped away, his cape flaring behind him as he exited the room with his hand on his communicator. As soon as he was gone, Robin's shoulders relaxed a fraction. He sighed, feeling ready to collapse. His eyes went to the new girls, unaware of the situation, and back to his team, still brimming with anxiety and questions. He pursed his lips.

He needed a plan.

"I know you all are confused and don't get what's going on right now, but please hold your questions until that meeting. I can fill everyone in at once then." His eyes swept them shortly, taking in furrowed eyebrows and shaking figures – one shaking figure in particular. He turned on his heel, walking around the couch to get to the door. "Beast Boy, come with me. We have something to talk about."

There was a beat before he heard soft padding signaling the younger boy catching up to and trailing behind him. Once the doors slid shut behind them, silence rang through the hall only interrupted by their footsteps.

However, it was oddly companionable and softly muted in a way that came with gatherings for memorials and terrible events, loss of life.

 

* * *

 

When they stopped at Beast Boy's room to talk instead of Robin's, the green boy had the oddest feeling that Robin was preparing for him to have some sort of a panic attack. They made themselves comfortable as possible in the situation on the top bunk, blue sheets tangled about them. While Robin leaned tiredly against the green wall, Beast Boy found himself stiff as a board across from him.

Robin smiled that soft smile that he'd been using too much lately, and Beast Boy found he missed the stern, strong turn of lips that made their leader seem less diplomatic and more invincible. "Ask away."

Beast Boy opened his lips . . . and nothing came out. He didn't know what to say or how to explain his confusion and lack of understanding. His eyebrows furrowed and his arms curled around his knees, not knowing what to say.

This was too serious. Beast Boy wasn't good at serious. He was the fun one! He was the silly one, the prankster! How was he supposed to force himself against his nature? How was he supposed to get the answers he wanted- _needed_ so desperately when he could barely hold this part of him in line?

He didn't know if he could take it much longer.

"Dude," He began softly, not knowing if he could do it, "I don't know . . . ."

Robin smiled. "Alright. Why don't I just explain, then?"

The changeling blinked in surprise. If he could do that in the fist place, why didn't he just say so? He, however, did not voice his thoughts and just nodded.

"Alright. Just after another League team had been incapacitated in the country, our team was given the mission. It was my first real mission as leader. We were sent to Qurac and Bialya to prevent Queen Bee from manipulating President Harjavti into combining the two countries into one." Robin paused, eyes skimming over Beast Boy's form almost paternally as a shiver ran down his spine. The name Queen Bee haunted him. It was part of the reason he could never force himself to actually become a bee during battle. "You probably don't remember either events well since you were eight, but on our way, we helped keep you and your mother out of harms way. In return, she allowed us to stay. You were an excitable, redheaded eight-year-old back then, not too different to now." At his smile, Beast Boy gagged.

"At the ranch?" Beast Boy asked, eyes resting intently on his leader. The ranch was fuzzy in his mind, but he knew- _knew_ that it had to be . . . .

He nodded. "My team consisted of Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Superboy, and myself. In an incident, you were injured and Miss Martian gave you a blood transfusion."

Beast Boy's eyes widened. "I have _Martian_ blood? This so _cool_!" He exclaimed in surprise, though Robin could still see the lack of ease in his wide green eyes. Beast Boy blinked, flushing when he realized what he said. "Err, whoops. Go on."

Robin smiled just a bit more genuinely before it fell away. "Afterward, Miss Martian kept contact, and everyone on the team visited you at least once. In time, your skin turned green and you gained your powers. You would be able to do more, but you never really explored it with Miss Martian. Your body simply adapted a some of her abilities. However, you and your mom had to go into hiding because Queen Bee put targets on you guys." Robin shifted sadly. "The team was captured after and the rest I have to speculate. You were alone and had no one. The Doom Patrol took you on, and you blocked out painful memories to keep your sanity."

Beast Boy's eyebrows furrowed as he dropped his eyes. Something in the back of his mind was _screaming_ that he should _know_ this, but he just . . . couldn't recover the memories, even if he could recover the emotion, the terror. The boy suspected as well that Robin's oddly calming voice was one of the only reasons that he was still able to function.

However, he could almost feel his rising headache that came with those dizzying feelings of _wrongness_. Robin was clicking together pieces of a puzzle that Beast Boy not only buried but used to plant his life on.

It was dizzying but strangely satisfying.

"When you met me, you showed a lot of stress. When I didn't fit into the memories you buried right, it probably caused a bit of an upheaval of your memories." Robin said, obviously working on pure speculation, but Beast Boy knew he was right. "But it would have been worse if was the same. All those repressed memories would have come back at once. I know you've been struggling with them, but with all the members of the team that you met appearing, they've gotten worse, and you don't know what to do."

Beast Boy blinked, suddenly realizing that he'd bitten his tongue so hard it had begun to bleed. After swallowing a bit of the coppery substance, his eyes focused on the tired boy-no, man before him. Taking a moment to let his brain compute what he'd heard, he softly spoke.

"For so long, every time something would happen, it just felt so _wrong._ I thought it-I was crazy, but I guess it really _is_ wrong. You're not who you should be." Beast Boy's tone regained a bit of strength as he looked at his almost surprised leader. "I'm going to bring you back." He swore.

Robin's lips parted, absolutely stunned. They spent a moment in silence, the room heavy with Beast Boy's resolve. Finally, Robin spoke. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

The youngest Titan looked at him. "I haven't."

The room fell into silence again.

 

* * *

 

When Robin finally found himself in his own room again, he slid the door shut and fell against it, hugging his knees. His mind was lost in chaos and lost memories and a promise from an eleven-year-old that he just couldn't shake. However, he knew that he needed to calm his mind and force his memories in order to do what he had to.

After all, it was finally necessary for the superhero world to know what happened.

A shiver went down his spine.

Robin wasn't stupid enough to actually believe that everything he was getting ready to divulge would remain secret, but he sincerely hoped that no one would be idiotic enough to attempt to extract more information outside or, heaven forbid, attempt to get him to _talk_ about it. It wasn't going to happen.

Well, most likely. He didn't know if he'd be able to stop himself if Barbara or Raven talked to him, and he doubted he'd be able to force himself to refuse Zatara anything, but he knew that certain things shouldn't be shared.

This had been his secret so _long_ that it was hard contemplating the idea of everyone knowing. He prayed that no information would go public. He was terrified of the thought of what happened being put in the newspaper.

_What? I thought you liked the spotlight!_ Wally whispered in his mind. _I mean, you're always showing off!_

"Shut up." Robin whispered, wrapping his hands around his knees. "I need to prepare."

Slowly, he forced his damaging thoughts away and began to gather information for a briefing, a proper one. He rose his arm automatically, about to use his holographic computer when he realized what he was doing. With a light shiver, he moved to his laptop, powered it up, and began putting together a presentation with his limited information. It was nearing nine when there was a hesitant knock at the door.

"Robin?" Starfire's soft voice called through the door. "May I speak to you?"

The teen blinked before sighing. Robin rose from his seat on the bed and opened the door to the alien. Her eyes glowed a soft green, and she looked oddly slumped. With her clothes rumpled the way they were, he guessed that she attempted to get her mind off of things by training and couldn't gather the emotions necessary to do so. He winced slightly at the thought. "Yeah, Star?"

"I was . . . I need to ask." She spoke softly. "You lied earlier. Why?"

He blinked in surprise at the question. He swallowed, hackles rising. "What do you mean?"

"I know you lie to spare others pain." Starfire whispered, advancing into his darkened room. The door slid shut, seeming to block escape from the dark conversation. "I am not good at telling when you lie, but I know that you did to spare me from knowing what she wanted-what she took from you. Please, tell me. If no one else, tell me."

For the first time in his life, Robin felt it as she effortlessly yet effectively crushed his defenses on the subject. He always locked away such emotions as tightly as he could in order to avoid situations exactly like this. However, he knew that this time, not only would he tell her the truth, but she deserved the truth. His breath shuddered. He prayed she wouldn't hate him. After all, what he did was . . . .

"She thought we were useful for things other than carrying out her dirty work." He crossed his arms, feeling oddly exposed and . . . wrong. He felt _dirty_. "She considered letting some of her more hard-working men use Zee and Artemis to-to . . . relax." His breathing sped up and he suddenly had trouble seeing the blurry outline of his room. "So, I . . . I told her she could do anything she wanted with me . . . and I wouldn't fight if she . . . ."

He couldn't speak. He _coul_ _dn't_ speak. After all Star had been through, this was something she did _not_ need to hear. Why was he-

He suddenly felt a soft hand on his, gently pulling his arms away from his chest. Very slowly, she slid her hand into his gloved one, trailing the other over his arm. With precise, careful movements, she peeled away the glove to bare his scarred arm. He wanted to look away from the ruined skin that he kept hidden, but his eyes were locked on Starfire's movements. Her hands delicately but strongly worked the muscles down his arms, taking extra time to trace the ugly scars, before they held his hand like some kind of expensive treasure. Very slowly, she drew his hand to her mouth, kissing his fingertips. Fiery, emerald eyes locked on his mask. He couldn't look away.

"It's hard to allow yourself to stand after someone steals something like that from you." She murmured, almost nuzzling his palm gently. "It makes you draw away from touch, from friends and happiness. You feel dirty, disgusting. You feel _wrong_. You feel like you're not worthy of anyone. _Impure_. But it's not you. It's _them_. Don't let her take this away from you. Feeling and friends are necessary. They make up your life. Don't let her take your life from you. Not anymore."

Robin couldn't say a word.

Slowly, she kissed the scars on his fingers again, ignoring the slight tremor in his hand. She moved back up his arm, seemingly trying to prove that the woman couldn't take this from him. She kissed every scar and touched every line, and eventually drew back from his arm, but she did not draw back from him. "Fight her now."

Very strongly, she stared into his eyes through the mask, eyes glowing green. Then she rose her middle three fingers on her right hand and touched them to her cheek, underneath her dark eye. Then, she touched them to his forehead. "Gulufnog."

Though Robin didn't exactly understand, and Starfire didn't explain, he felt oddly rejuvenated. Knowing that Tamaran was a warrior state, he got the impression that that was a sign of respect for a fellow soldier. Despite it coming from such a serious state of mind, he couldn't explain why he felt oddly better afterward. He took a deep breath, taking his glove back from the alien and pulling it on.

"What were you doing?" Starfire asked softly, obviously curious and trying to return the moment to something soft and simple.

He offered her a seat on the bed next to him as he unlocked his laptop again. "I was preparing a power-point for the briefing later." He replied, frowning. "I just wish I had more information."

Starfire climbed on the bed, accidentally knocking an article from the side of the bed as she did. Quickly, she caught it, confused at first at what she was looking at. "What is this? The press knew about your team's disappearance?"

Robin blinked, glancing at the article. After a short moment, it clicked, and he remembered the incident. "Oh. No. The public didn't know about us. We were under the radar. A few months before my team was-was captured, another League team of teenagers went missing." He blinked before taking it from her. "Wait a minute, this is . . . ."

"What?" Starfire asked in confusion.

"Think about it." He said, looking up at her. "What are the chances of another team from the Justice League comprised of teenagers going missing within six months of us?"

"You think they were both planned by the same perpetrator?" Starfire asked, leaning forward from her perch at his side. Robin looked at her, an odd expression of excitement, wariness, and worry set on his face.

"No. I think they were _done_ by the same people. The first one was planned. We were just the perfect opportunity." He stated simply, clenching the newspaper harshly in his hand. "Batman never told us the specified information he was after. He might have wanted to-"

He was interrupted by the alarm. Lights flashing and siren blaring, he looked at Starfire. For a moment, neither dared breathe.

"Looks like we've got trouble." Robin murmured, eyes dark as he threw down the article. Standing, they ran out of the room, leaving the only light in the dark room the steady glow from the computer that would eventually go out, as all bright lights do.

 

* * *

 

Zatanna screamed as she struggled against her teammate's hands, twisting and kicking desperately. Artemis forced her down, wincing in pain as her temple throbbed. Zatanna kept screaming at the top of her lungs. "I need him! I need him! Please! IT HURTS!"

"Anti! Typhoon!" Artemis shouted. "I need help in here!"

The two boys, the strongest on the team, rushed in. Kaldur held down her arms while Conner pinned her legs to the floor carefully. Artemis took a position at her head, trying to soothe the poor girl as she whimpered, thrashed, and screamed in desperation. "PLEASE!"

A single tear slid down the blond's face, falling into the magician's dark hair. "Tonight. Just hold on."

Zatanna kept screaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gulufnog - stolen from one of the TT episodes - stand in for "Bless you" 
> 
> Sorry. I had trouble finding a better stand-in (and I didn't want to make up a word of my own, so I gave it meaning). Hopefully, that doesn't bother anyone. Thank you for those of you who've read this far! Please tell me what you think! :)


	15. Welcome to the Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red X appears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. So now that my computer is fixed and all that, I am back. However, I warn you that I lost a lot of outlines and drafts. As such, updates will be slower.
> 
> On the up-side, it also means that I have more freedom to fill wishes for this story. If there are any characters you would like to see from anywhere in the DC universe (and I do mean anywhere), tell me. In fact, if there's a scene you're dying to see or something, tell me because I can run with that. For instance, I've already been asked about one character that I have agreed to place inside the story, and that will give me the ability to play with the plot. That's always good, right?
> 
> For another thing, there's also something else super important that I lost that I'll ask you guys in my end note. I don't want to give you any spoilers in this note, but it's hugely important, and I don't know what I can write without knowing it.
> 
> Enjoy.

_This was his last chance. All alone in the room with those seven empty chairs was torture in and of itself._ And I would know. _He thought before chuckling darkly, hands shaking. This was his only plan, the only possible way he could think of that might work (even if it wasn't the first he had tried), and anxiousness had settled over him like a dark cloud. It had to work, or they would all fall._

__He parted his lips before they closed again. They'd literally taken a knife to him and his friends, torched them, touched them, and horrified them just to hear the words, and he was going to give in? Tearful pride had set in, fighting him, but he closed his eyes and hung his head, letting his heart break again for everything that had happened to him and everyone around him._ _

__The League hadn't come for them. He was going to get them out instead because that's what teams did._ _

__"I give up." He whispered, dreaded words painting his lips with cowardice and shame. He swallowed the lump in his throat, teeth chattering. "I give up! Do you hear me? I give!"_ _

__For a moment, he was afraid that they had somehow detected his ploy, but the doors slid open nonetheless. Two robots entered, looking grotesque in the dim lighting. It almost looked as though they were smiling. He shivered.__ Maybe I am losing my mind. _ _They released him from the seat with rusted fingers, pulling him to his feet. He nearly collapsed right then and there, ready to be done with his plan, but he held strong, walking between them silently.__

__They made their way to a door that he noticed had a padlock as well as several normal locks. He swallowed, and he felt it as doubt and paranoia took hold. What if he really hadn't fooled them? What if they knew? What if it was a joke, and they were taking him to another more evil, more twisted torture chamber? The robots unlocked it, and he forced himself to enter, hesitation in every step._ _

__Until he realized who was inside._ _

__He gasped at them, all seven of them, not a scar on their bodies as they dressed. He wondered how they managed to remove the signs of torture, if they meant to hide how they had gained their slaves from the outside world, forget the horrors they'd visited on their bodies, but he held himself back. He was shaking. "Guys." He whispered as the door slammed behind him._ _

__At once, all of them stopped what they were doing and stared. Then they broke out into grins and even partially dressed, they jumped at him, pulling him into a hug, all of them. He was too out of it, too happy, too scared to realize that their smiles were wrong, their joy twisted._ _

__"You finally gave in." Whispered one, her eyes shining. "Finally."_ _

__"It's good to have you back." Breathed another._ _

__"Together, we can show the League what they have forsaken." Their leader's eyes were dark, twisted and not what he'd been expecting."We will make them pay."_ _

__Terror gripped his heart as he understood. He fell back away from them, eyes wide. His back hit the locked door. He was trapped. "What? No, no! We need to escape! Come on. We can leave and go back-back to the League! They'll help us. Come on!"_ _

__Their leader (__ "I know you don't believe me, but I would follow you any day, any time. Just call." _ _) looked at him with cold eyes. "You didn't give in."__

__He shook his head._ _

 

_Their leader took a slight breath, and he couldn't help but stare at the stiffness in his back, the darkness in his eyes, and the new tattoo on his face (He would come to associate this mark with evil-pure, unadulterated evil.) and understood that his team wasn't pretending._

_They had broken._

_"It is you who needs help." His leader stated softly and simply, a sad kind of wistfulness in his voice. "Take him back."_

_He jerked back so hard that his head slammed against the door. "No. No! You're my friends, my team! My family! I won't go-I can't go back there!" Panic clenched at his heart. "You can't take me back there!_

_The door opened again, the robots coming toward him, and he jerked back toward his team._ I won't go back. I won't go back! I won't-I won't-No, no, no, no- _But they were closing in, hands soft and careful but firm in their resolve to take him_ back _, to force him see the light that they didn't seem to know wasn't coming from heaven anymore. Against his will, tears formed in his eyes and terror took his heart because his team, his family-What did they do to his_ family _? Except he knew what they did to his family._

_They broke them._

_It was then, tears on his cheeks and being taken back to the torture chamber by his closest friends that his resolve hardened. He broke into a sprint, tearing away from them fast enough that they cried out in surprise, the robots not catching on quickly enough to grab him. Even if they caught him, they would not break him. He would escape. He would save his team._

_And they would pay. He was going to_ make _them pay._

 

* * *

 

 

With everything that had happened with Young Justice, it was silent, serious, and a little awkward on the way to the scene of the crime, but to all of their reliefs, it wasn't a member of Young Justice that was causing chaos this time.

It was Red X, another one of Robin's mistakes.

Though the team might argue with him (less about Red X being a mistake because that was what he was) as they couldn't see Young Justice as his fault. A small part of him wondered how since it was the fact that it was his foolish miscalculation in believing that they would put the mission above him that caused everything that had happened. In that way, it was his fault. Maybe if he lied just a little better, maybe if he made Wally run him to a further away spot (and risk failing in some hacking?), maybe if he was just a little bit better, he wouldn't have gotten captured, and they would have just thought it was another covert mission. They might never have remembered or even cared what information Batman had sent them for.

It still blew Robin's mind that after so long after the mission (years, even) he hadn't even asked what information it was that they were searching for in the first place. If he had, then maybe the other League team would have been found.

Maybe they could still be found.

Then his hope withered and died. He'd been the most prepared out of all of them and after a year and a half, he'd been on the verge of giving in. No one was trained better in withstanding torture than a Bat. If they were taken before Young Justice and their captivity was planned for, ready and waiting for them . . . .

"I see him!" Shouted B.B. Before he changed into a sparrow, darting after the criminal.

Robin's eyes darkened. Right. They were after a criminal, Robin's responsibility. "Titans, go!"

Across rooftops they went. Beast Boy flew Cyborg on pterodactyl wings, often having to avoid flying projectiles and catch back up. Star and Raven flew on the other side, both being hit too often and being distracted a few too many times by Red X's toys. It didn't help that Robin made them specifically to be difficult for the Titans to fight against. It was only Robin, in the end, who could actually keep up with him, practically running at the thief's side through the night.

It shouldn't have been a surprise then when the Titans were too far away to save him.

"Nice try, kid." Red X chuckled, and Robin thought he could see a (legitimate) smile or maybe some form of a smirk underneath that mask. "But you gotta try harder than that."

Robin rose an eyebrow, sure that X had noticed. Challenge accepted.

Though Red X was one of the most notorious of the Titan's adversaries as well as one of Robin's personal villains that he'd claimed responsibility for (a bit like Slade himself), he had also proven himself to be different. Robin couldn't quite figure him out entirely, causing many late nights and (thankfully) sleepless nights, but Robin knew that there was more to him than what he knew. The plagiarizing villain had saved Robin at least twice. Once metaphorically and once when he'd grabbed his hand, saving him from falling like his-

Robin wasn't sure why it was that Red X stole when he kept accidentally being a hero, when he was good at being a hero (when Robin was practically ready to make him an honorary Titan at times), but he knew that the villainous boy had to be after something, surely. The one thing he did know was that he avoided murder, avoided the damaging of crimes, didn't steal from high-risk and easy targets like orphanages or charities, and that all of his crimes fit a pattern. He had a goal, an endgame that he planned to reach only with the support he could gain through theft from the big businesses and the rich boys that everyone knew were up to no good (even when they couldn't prove it).

"Eyes on the prize, kid!" Laughed Red X, practically spinning out of the way of Robin's staff and plastering Starfire's left leg to the empathic girl at her side. Robin got the feeling that Red X was enjoying himself.

With a slightly over exaggerated flip (Okay, he was enjoying himself, too. It was hard not to when with Red X. It was easy to forget everything that had gone wrong recently when all of X's taunts were normal and pushing and prodding like a child screaming "Pay attention to me!"), Robin made his way to Red X's side and threw three birdarangs at him. Naturally, when the other flexible boy dodged them, Robin and he continued in fighting, hardly noticing as Beast Boy dived to avoid the projectiles coming at him and Cyborg. (Unfortunately for them, Robin had noticed and even fighting Red X, he was planning out a rather grueling training course to improve their teamwork.)

The two of them were blurs running across the rooftops, trading both blows and taunts, none too ruthless or horrific (more playful, but Robin wouldn't admit that). They only ever seemed to even pause in their fighting when jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

Red laughed. "Good, kid! But let's see you keep following me without those cute little toys of yours." With that, he shot at Robin. Though the boy managed to move so that the majority of the red slime (Robin wouldn't even attempt to clean it out) hit his stomach rather than his belt, both sides were still unfortunately blocked from his reach.

Robin scowled, realizing that his grappling hooks were both sealed off and that he'd have to stop in his chase. However, it was then that he looked up and realized.

He was too close to the edge to stop. Even if he did, his momentum would carry him off the edge anyway. His only chance was to jump.

Red X must have seen his wide-eyed expression because he looked up and saw the edge. Robin noticed his mouth open behind black fabric and imagined the look of shock on his face as he realized what he'd just condemned the boy wonder to. He hoped he'd be able to see it before he died ( _splat on the ground, and everything was too_ bright _, and Mama's head wasn't supposed to twist like that, was it-_ ).

Robin jumped with all the strength he had in his legs.

Because as much as he imagined what it would be like to fall, he had a greater reason to fly. His family, his friends, _his teams-_

"Robin!" Ah. Starfire. He'd hoped she'd never have to witness something like this. Then again, that went for everyone on the team. He hoped they'd live and thrive and endure. He didn't want them to-

There was a quiet _pop_ , and Robin looked down ( _the lights were starting to bleed together and the buildings were just colors and-_ Fly, fly, fly-) in time to see none other than Red X appear and grab a flagpole sticking out of the side of the building too far for Robin to reach ( _So short. It's cute. It's like I got a get seven, get half-off sale!_ ), but X was close enough to just barely grasp Robin's hand.

Robin, terror slightly dampened but his heart still pounding like a drum, found himself unable to speak just as he was unable to scream as he swung with enough momentum to nearly rip his shoulder from its socket and make his bruised rips ache (because Kid hadn't broken one, just made it feel like it). His eyes widened again as he saw himself swing toward the flagpole underneath the one Red X had attached himself to, realizing with a jolt that Red might have just sentenced him to death by saving his life.

With everything in him, Robin managed to force himself to the side, watching in horror as the tip continued to get closer and closer. He closed his eye in a sudden realization that he might lose it as he got too close, but he couldn't bring himself to close the other, fear making him stop because he'd never imagined himself to be petty, to judge based on looks, really, but it was his eye-

The metal tip tore into the skin just above his eyebrow, slowly and painfully (he'd say methodically, too, if it were a villain instead of a flagpole, but it might as well have been one), down his nose and dangerously close to his cornea. On instinct, he jerked his head up, making it tear into his cheek instead.

He glanced up in time to see Red X start to transport them again, but he managed to look down again before they disappeared, watching as a white and black piece of fabric floated down to where its master should have died.

Robin was numb as Red X transported them to the edge of the building they'd just jumped off (Had it really been less than a minute? It felt like an entire lifetime.), holding the same position. Carefully, X pulled him back onto the building. Numbly, Robin looked up.

Then fear hit. Because Robin didn't know which side of his mask had been torn away and because Red X (his savior) took one look at him and jerked away as if he'd just seen a ghost, a monster, a demon. "No." He gasped, shocked into stillness. "No."

"Robin!" Shouted Raven, and the quiet hero, still on his knees, found himself staring at his teammates as one by one they came to stop in front of him, eyes widening in shock. He brought a trembling hand to the right side of his face, both hope and terror making his chest heave. He moved the glove within his vision, hoping against all hope that it was wet-

It was dry.

Cyborg was the first to recover, stepping toward him with a protective hand on the way and the bearing of a mother bear after one of her cubs, but he stopped when a red X slammed into the ground where his feet were about to step. They all looked at Red X in surprise, watching as his frame shook from some unknown stress.

"Not you." He said, shaking his head wildly, enraged (but Robin thought he saw something more). "Not you. You're a hero. You can't be working for her!"

Robin's lips parted, mouth dry. The very idea that he was working for her made him break out into a cold sweat because she'd tried. She'd done her very best to force his hand. She took his team, took him, took everything, but he didn't let her take his soul, and the insinuation that she had somehow succeeded even knowing she didn't made his palms cold, cold, _cold_ -

"You're just another one of them, aren't you? You're just one of them! No, no, no. No! Why? Why does she take everyone?" Red X stumbled toward Robin. The Titans automatically stiffened as if to protect their leader, but neither boy spared them a glance, clarity and terror blinding them. "She took my team." Whispered Red X, shaking Robin's shoulders. "She couldn't have-She got to the Titans? How didn't I-I would have-I thought-I should have notic-"

Robin shook his head. "We're not _her's_."

Red X laughed bitterly, gloved hands clawing at the skull mask. "No, no. Not again, not again-"

"You were part of the other team, the first team." Robin interrupted, his face sad and open.

Red X froze. All his trembling and stuttering just froze in his position on his knees in front of the shaken boy wonder. Robin knew that it was fear that had taken his breath, and the boy wonder didn't waste a moment of it.

"I think my team was sent to see if we could find information on you." Robin spoke softly, but his words seemed to carry with a certain extra weight. No one dared breathe lest it be shifted onto new shoulders. "They took us." He looked at Red X darkly, and Robin didn't need to say that he was the only one to escape, to be saved. "But my team came back for me."

The thief jolted, clearly horrified but believing, and suddenly, Robin knew. He knew what to do and how to do it and why he needed to do it. He knew why he'd managed to grow a companionship with a villain when he blamed himself for the man's every move, what he'd gone through, and he knew who he was.

He knew what he was afraid of.

"If they've come for me, they'll come for you." Robin stated with finality.

Red X seemed to start shaking again, lips taking deep gulps from lips parted beneath the mask. This wasn't the Red X that Robin knew, but he understood him anyway. With a gentle hand, he extended gloved fingers, an offer.

Red X looked at him, and not a Titan breathed.

He took Robin's hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Thanks for reading, guys. I really appreciate it. 
> 
> Now, if you haven't guessed, I'm asking about the identity of the other missing team. But not the majority. Just one person: Who is Red X? For those who want him to be Jason Todd, I apologize, but that will not be so. There's only one requirement. He's gotta be a guy from the DC universe. I've looked at a few people already but opted them out. It might take a while, but I will figure out who he is. It would just be a bit easier with some help. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks again, guys. I appreciate it if you've hung on to this fic.


End file.
